STAR WARS: Rebels Of The Ring
by Gollum83
Summary: Ezra, Kanan, Sabine, Zeb, Hera, Captain Rex, and Chopper wake up in Middle Earth with no memory of how they got there. With no way off the planet, they must join the Fellowship of the Ring and restore peace to this world.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue: A Questionable Vision**

Dreams had never came to Ezra Bridger's mind. Until this moment. He actually had what he never thought he'd have again: A dream. Ezra had no idea where he was or what was going on in the real world. All he knew was that he was here, in a mysterious void  
made from his mind.

However, something finally happened. Ezra blinked and found himself standing along a path. This path was strange. It was made of complete sand and went on for miles and miles without ever stopping. He could see some curves and sections that spilt up into  
opposite directions. It looked...difficult.

Cautiously, Ezra stepped on the path, his foot making a strange noise as it crunched against the dry hard sand. He tried to look as far as he could to see if he could see something on the horizon, but there was nothing. He just saw more of the path. How  
far did it go? Was there even an end to it?

Ezra looked behind him, but as he suspected, he just saw more of the path. At this moment, I think it's safe to say that he was rather confused. Strangely, he didn't seem to panic. That actually surprised him because he was sure he'd be creeped out at  
being in the middle of a path with no memory of how he even got there.

Yet, he felt calm and focused. He smirked. He never thought he'd actually be focused. Kanan had always told him nonstop to stay focused. And now, right at this moment in this strange dream, he finally was. He felt relaxed.

"Happy you seem, hmm?" a sudden voice asked.

Ezra jumped in alarm and seized his lightsaber. But instantly, he calmed down when he just saw the small green form of Master Yoda sitting there, kindly smiling at him.

Ezra blinked in confusion, "Uh, Master Yoda? How are you here?"

Yoda tilted his head, "Asking me, are you? In your head we are. Asking yourself that question, I believe you should be."

Ezra knelt down in front of the elder Jedi Master so that his eyes were level with his.

"Are you real, master?" he asked.

That was probably a stupid question, but he had to ask just to be sure. Kanan had told him that the elder Jedi was at times unpredictable.

Yoda chuckled, "Real am I? Of course I am real. Live in the outside world in hiding I most definitely do. But real right now in your mind, I am not. Just a vision I am. A thought placed here from your mind."

Ezra nodded, kind of understanding. He got the part that Yoda wasn't real in the dream, but the rest of it his mind had unfortunately went blank on. Kanan had never explained why the elder Jedi always spoke backwards.

Yoda hopped off from where he was sitting and made a gesture with his hand, pointing towards the path ahead.

"A walk, I think we should take, young one," he said with another smile.

He then began to slowly walk forward. Seeing nothing else to do, Ezra followed, keeping his eyes on the master. He then looked around at his surroundings again. He had not even realized that there was grass surrounding the path, which was quite odd considering  
how dry the sandy path seemed.

Ezra looked back at Yoda. "Master Yoda, if I may ask, where are we?"

Yoda rose a brow. "Hmm, ask you the same thing I was about to, young Ezra Bridger. After all, created this with your mind you did."

"What?" Ezra asked confused. "I created this? I couldn't have. I don't even know what this place is."

"Maybe not you specifically," Yoda answered with a chuckle, "but the Force might've used your mind to create this. Telling you something, it could be."

Ezra eyed the path again. What could the Force be trying to tell him? It didn't make any sense. All he saw was this path. And it went on forever and ever.

He and Yoda soon came to a steep hill. Without a second thought, they both started to climb up it. Ezra seemed to slightly struggle, but Yoda seemed as calm and relaxed as he always was. Maybe because he wasn't real? Ezra wasn't sure.

As they continued up the hill, Ezra got a better view of what the path looked like compared to the grass. As he suspected, the road had a rather ill color to it while the grass around it was beautiful and sparkling with morning dew. Ezra didn't get it.  
How could the path look so dead while the outside was so much alive?

Yoda frowned, "Confusion I sense in you, padawan."

Ezra nodded, "Yes, master." He pointed at the path and the grass. "How is this possible? The path looks like it's been scorched by a very hot sun while the grass looks as fresh as ever."

Yoda examined it himself.

"Indeed," he mused. "Curious, this path is. Agree I do, that no ordinary path we are on."

"How can the Force be trying to tell me something with this?" Ezra asked.

Yoda stopped and looked up at the young Jedi. "Padawan, have visions like these, many Jedi do. But know what they mean, your task that is." He pointed to everything around him. "Many things, this could be telling you. Many possibilities. A simple dream  
this could be, or a vision of the future."

That made Ezra even more confused. Was Yoda saying that he might one day find himself walking on this path with no end? Or was this just a simple dream like any normal person would have? He couldn't tell. This dream seemed so...real. This couldn't be  
just a dream. There was some sort of explanation for why he had this in his head, so it had to be a vision. But of what?

"It's a vision," Ezra decided to say aloud.

Yoda nodded. "Clever you are, young one. Observant of the things around you I can see you are." He then leaned forward. "But what is it that you see, hmm?"

Ezra shrugged, "I don't know, honestly. None of this makes sense. The road is dead, but everything outside the road is alive and growing."

Yoda rose a brow, "Simple, I think the answer is, Ezra. Although see it you cannot." He began walking up the hill again.

"What is it, Master Yoda?" Ezra asked, chasing after him. "Please tell me."

Yoda shook his head, "Not much can I reveal. But tell you I can, that a road awaits you." He pointed down at the path with his small green hand. "Represent, this road does, of what lies ahead. Follow it, you must."

Ezra blinked. "Follow it? I don't understand."

"Speak clearly, did I not?", Yoda asked with a frown. "Ahead of you, a dangerous path awaits, padawan. Whatever you do, leave it you must not."

The elder master was ahead of Ezra and got to the top of the hill and simply stood there, looking at something the youth could not see yet. Ezra climbed harder and harder until finally, he reached the top too. He wasn't surprised to find more of the path.  
However, something had changed.

The grass on the other side of the hill seemed different. Was it Ezra's imagination, or did it seem to be changing color? He looked closely, trying to make out what was going on. Suddenly, it came to him. The grass was dying! Ezra looked behind at the  
path he had come up on and was shocked to find that the grass there was dying too.

"Follow it, you must," he heard Yoda say again, "If leave the path you do, then die everything else will. _Including yourself_."

That got Ezra's attention and he looked down to ask him what he meant by that. But suddenly, he saw that Yoda was no longer there! Ezra looked around frantically, trying to see where the Jedi had gone off to, but there was no sign of him at all.

"Master Yoda?", Ezra called out. "Master Yoda?!"

Suddenly, something else caught his attention. Ezra heard a strange crackling sound coming from the ground. He looked down and saw that all of the grass had turned pitch black, as if it had been burnt by fire. He knelt down and touched one. But once he  
did that, it along with the rest of the grass crumbled like ash and fell to the ground.

Ezra stood up again and saw that everything now looked like a wasteland. It was as dead looking as the path. What did this mean? What did any of this mean?! Ezra had no time to think more because all of a sudden, something else happened. The ground began  
to shake violently.

Ezra felt a sudden disturbance in the Force. Something dark and sinister was coming. He could feel it. It wasn't the Dark Side. It was something...much worse. What was it? Whatever it was, it made his stomach ache and form goosebumps across his body.

However, once the earthquake ended, that's when Ezra finally caught sight of something in the distance. He couldn't really make out what it was, but there was some sort of strange light. A light that was...moving? Ezra thought he could see the light  
moving from one direction to another, as if it were some gigantic eye searching for something.

What was it?

Ezra wanted to walk on to see what the thing was, but suddenly he jumped back. He found himself no longer standing on the path. He was standing on a small circle of land and everything else around it was nothing more than a dark abyss that seemed to go  
down for miles and miles.

Ezra turned even more pale when he saw the light start to come towards _him_! He didn't want it to. There was some feeling within him that wanted this light to go away. But how could he make it disappear if he was trapped?! Ezra reached for  
his lightsaber and pressed the button to activate it. But to his horror, he found that the blade wouldn't activate. He was defenseless!

"No no no no no!" Ezra shouted in both aggravation and fear.

His head shot back up to the light. It was almost towards him, and he got a clearer view of what it was. To Ezra's shock, he realized that the light had moved like an eye because it was an eye! It was lidless and surrounded by flame. Just the pure sight  
of it made Ezra want to bury himself.

A loud and terrifying noise filled his ears and he tried his best to cover them, but it was no use. Ezra didn't realize that he was screaming considering just how loud the noise was. The great eye then seemed to pull back for some reason. At first, Ezra  
thought that it was moving away, but he realized too late that he was wrong.

Without warning, the eye launched itself at him and engulfed him in a hot and burning flame!

 **Hey everybody, I hope you enjoyed the prologue of this Star Wars Rebels/Lord of the Rings crossover. This is my first story, and I hope that you enjoy it. Special thanks to the writers of Pirates of the Ring, Once Upon a Ring, and the Arda Campaign. Their stories inspired me to write this. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey everybody. Here's the first chapter of the story. Hope you like it. Please subscribe. :)**

 **Chapter 1: Stranded On A Myterious Planet**

Ezra's eyes snapped open and he sat up. He was sweating like crazy and his heart was pounding faster than it had ever been. He looked around at his surroundings and sighed with relief. He was still in his usual bedroom onboard _the ghost._

Slowly, Ezra began to calm down. He wiped his face with his hand to clear off some of the sweat. That had to be the most unusual dream he had ever experienced. He still had no idea what this mysterious vision meant, and he doubted he would anytime soon.  
/Maybe ifhe talked to Kanan about it, he could get some answers.

Ezra hopped out of bed and was surprised to find that Zeb wasn't laying in the bunk below him. Come to think of it, the Lasat was nowhere in the room. Ezra rose a brow and went out into the ship's hallway. He looked around but found no one. He decidedto  
/goto the next room and see if Sabine was there. But when he opened the door, he found that the Mandalorian teenager wasn't in her room either. Where was everyone?

Just then, Ezra thought he heard voices coming from the ship's living quarters. Once again, he sighed with relief and made his way down the hall. Sure enough, had found Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, Captain Rex, and Chopper all gathered around talking amongst  
/themselves.

Zeb saw the young Jedi first. "Hey kid. Welcome back to the real world. Took ya long enough."

Kanan shot the Lasat a warning look. "Cut the sarcasm, Zeb. We're already in the middle of a problem."

Ezra rose a brow. Problem? What could've possibly happened while he was asleep? Did they get captured by an Imperial Star Destroyer? Was somebody missing?

"What do you mean, Kanan?" Ezra finally asked, "What's happened?"

Everybody in the room exchanged glances. That was never a good sign, as Ezra had learned from all the years of being with them. And judging by the look on their faces, he could tell that this was really bad.

Hera spoke for everybody. "We're stranded."

Ezra's eyes went wide. "What?! Stranded?! How?!"

Another series of uncomfortable glances were exchanged before Hera spoke again.

"Honestly, none of us really know, Ezra," she replied, seeming very embarrassed at the moment.

Ezra became confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Zeb rolled his eyes in aggravation. "It means that none of us got a clue as to how we got here, kid! Is it really that difficult to understand?"

Ezra looked at all of them. He could instantly tell that they were not lying. Everyone seemed both startled and confused. He had never seen them, especially Kanan and Rex, so alarmed before in all his life. Of course he himself didn't know because hehad  
/been asleep during the incident.

Ezra stuttered, "H-How do none of you guys remember how we got stranded?"

Kanan shrugged. "I don't know, Ezra. It seems that we all somehow fell asleep like you and then woke up to find ourselves here, wherever we are."

"Wait," Ezra replied, even more surprised, "you guys fell asleep too?"

Kanan nodded, "Yes, but not as long as you. Hera was the first to wake up, followed by Rex, me, Zeb, and then Sabine. Even Chopper somehow got shut down, and he has no clue as to what happened either."

Chopper gave a grumbling sound in response. The little astromech looked as jittery as everybody else. Normally, Ezra would find him trying to cause some sort of trouble for him and Zeb. But now that Chopper was actually acting serious, it made Ezrathink  
/the galaxy was gonna end.

The young Jedi then tilted his head and gave Hera and Kanan a questionable look. "Where exactly are we stranded on?"

Kanan shook his head, "We don't know that either. Rex and I recently took a look outside. Whatever planet we're on, it's nowhere on any holo-map. I don't even think it's supposed to exist."

Zeb smirked, "Obviously it does since we are actually in it."

Rex looked at Chopper and gave him a nod. The astromech proceeded to activate a hologram that showed where they had landed, or rather crashed as Ezra instantly found out.

"We somehow crashed into a lake that's surrounded by a huge forest," Rex explained, showing the image on the hologram. "We're very fortunate because this part of the lake appears to be shallow, and the ramp is right next to the shore."

Ezra rose a brow, "Wait, are you guys talking about leaving the ship?"

"We'll have to," Hera replied, " _The Ghost_ was badly damaged in the crash, and I checked the storage room. We don't have the right parts to fix her up."

"We'll have to go find the colonists on this system and see if they have any parts. It's our only chance to get out of here," added Sabine.

"Are we even sure that this system is inhabited?" asked Ezra.

Rex nodded, "It is. Scanners picked up a village a good couple miles away from our position." He pointed to a series of hills that were located a long way from where they had crashed.

Kanan eyed the hills thoughtfully, as if debating on what he wanted to do. Ezra looked at them too. He couldn't see any building from where he was standing, but it was obviously a village if Chopper was able to pick up life forms there. And ifthe

Empire was possibly in pursuit of them, they'd have to get off the surface as soon as possible.

As much as Ezra hated to admit it, their best option was to seek help from the village. Hopefully the colonists on this planet were hospitable. He was in no mood to deal with any pirates or Imperial-loyalists. If there were any Imperials in the systemthat  
/is.

Ezra wanted to tell Kanan about the strange vision he had, but he thought against it. They had enough trouble on their hands right now. He'd just tell him after this matter was resolved. And hopefully it would be soon. There was just somethingabout  
/that vision that unnerved Ezra. It made him feel...cold. Colder than what he felt when dealing with the likes of Darth Vader. He decided to shake it off for now though.

Kanan looked at Hera, "Are we sure it's a good idea to leave this ship unguarded?"

Hera shrugged, "We really don't have a choice, Kanan. Normally I'd have Chopper stay with the ship, but if we find the right parts, we'll need his help to get them moved."

Chopper grumbled after hearing that.

Zeb slapped him on the dome. "Stop complaining, you rust bucket!"

Rex was busy typing in the coordinates of the village into his comlink. He sighed in frustration a couple times, but finally got them put in right. With a satisfied nod, he looked up at everybody else to give his report.

"If I'm timing this correctly, the village is an hour away," he said.

Kanan frowned. "That's a good ways away. It'll take a whole lot of time off our hands."

"It'll have to do," replied Hera, "Plus, if the Empire was looking for us, I'm sure we would've detected TIE fighters nearby."

"I also did a scan of the outside of the planet," Sabine explained, "For some reason, it was kinda hard to scan, but I was able to determine that there were no Star Destroyers in the area. So I'm assuming that we're safe, for now."

Kanan looked down in thought again, but then sighed. "Fine. If we're going to ask these colonists for help, then we'd better get moving."

For the next fifteen minutes, the crew was gathering things that they needed just for safety precautions. Sabine made sure to load a whole lot of grenades into at least two backpacks, in case there happened to be any Stormtroopers waiting.

Zeb got his bo-rifle, which he never seemed to go anywhere without.

Hera predicted that they'd have to do a whole lot of negotiating at the village, so she made sure to pack a whole lot of power chips for Chopper, just in case he'd shut down. That little droid seemed to mean a lot to her. Ezra could definitely seethat.

All the young Jedi decided to bring was his lightsaber. He really didn't have any valuable items on the ship that he cared about. Kanan brought his lightsaber as well, plus a blaster.

Once everything was assembled, the crew lowered _the Ghost's c_ argo ramp. Once it hit bottom, Ezra could definitely make out the splash of water. They all looked outside and found themselves staring upon a beautiful greenforest. Therewere

birds chirping in the nearby trees and the sun was setting on the horizon.

Ezra seemed to lighten up a little. This planet didn't seem to be so bad to get stranded on. Sure enough, the ship was in the middle of a huge lake. What surprised Ezra the most was that even the water was beautiful. The sun seemed to give thelakea  
/nice gleam to it. Everybody seemed to be in awe at the sight of it.

"I've never seen a planet this beautiful since the Empire took over," Kanan muttered in admiration.

Sabine smiled, seeming very happy to see a peaceful planet again. "Systems like these are very rare."

Ezra nodded in agreement. He had lived on Lothal all his life, and even though his memory was very vague, he could still remember when the planet looked beautiful. Then the Empire, led by Governor Pryce, came and destroyed everything. They hadputall  
/the colonists into fear and cowardice. Ezra had hated the sight ever since.

That was one of the reasons why he was happy to be with Phoenix Squadron. Sure, they were unable to help Lothal now, but in time they'd regain their full strength and return. Then Governor Pryce and her Imperial rein would fall. Lothal wouldbe beautiful  
/and peaceful again. Ezra wished he could look at it the same way he was looking at this planet now.

"I'm surprised the Empire didn't destroy this planet like they did with all the others," he mused.

Hera looked at her surroundings curiously. "I don't think the Empire knows this system even exists."

Kanan shrugged, "I hope you're right."

Rex looked down at his comlink and studied the area. He pointed towards a small column of trees.

"There's a path on the other side of those trees," he reported, "If I'm right, it'll lead us straight to the village."

Kanan smiled and nodded. "Good work, Rex." He then turned to the rest of the crew. "Alright everybody, let's get moving."

Ezra was the first to set foot off _theGhost_. The ground was so soft and a pleasant smell filled his nostrils. The smell of fresh grass. Just breathing the air made him fall in love with the planet almost immediately.

Once everybody else set foot on the land, Rex led the way, using his comlink as a compass to guide them on which directions they needed to take. All of a sudden, Hera stopped and looked back at _the Ghost_. Kanan noticed herstop and signaledfor  
/everyone else to wait. He walked up to her.

"You okay?" he asked her.

Hera sighed and shrugged, "I just don't like the idea of leaving my ship here."

Kanan chuckled and placed a hand on the Twi'lek's shoulder, "It's not like we're gonna forget all about it. We're just gonna get parts and we'll be right back. Plus, nobody can steal it because it won't work."

Hera nodded. "You're right."

Without another word, she turned to Rex and nodded for him to continue. Ezra just smiled at her before following the clone up to the trees. Sure enough, they found a road on the other side. It led West, right to where the village was.

Everybodywas secretly relieved that they wouldn't have to go through any trees to get there, because that task would be even more difficult. At least they had a road to get to where they were going.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2 is up. :) I know I've posted almost 3 chapters today, but I actually started on this story before I got this account. I'll be updating a lot though, don't worry. :)**

 **Chapter 2: A Party of Some Significance**

Ezra could see that the sun was almost about to set. It slightly peeked over some hills far off in the distance. It was kind of a pity that they all woke up right at dusk. Of course, they weren't here to enjoy the scenery. They needed to get the partsneeded  
/for the ship and then leave. Phoenix Squadron might be needing their help right this minute. Ezra wished they could stay longer though. This was definitely the type of planet worth exploring.

They walked on for a half hour, most of them enjoying the scenery while they could. Night had fallen across the land, and the crickets were as pleasant of a sound as the birds. Ezra could feel so much light and happiness here. He began to doubt thatthey  
/would run into any sort of trouble in a place like this.

The only downside was that Chopper wouldn't stop grumbling about having to help. He had to be the most laziest droid in the whole galaxy. It eventually took Zeb threatening to tear him into pieces and throw him back in the lake to make the droid shutup.  
/That put a big smile to the Lasat's face. Chopper always had a habit to get on people's nerves.

Normally Sabine and Rex would have their helmets on, but surprisingly they kept them off, seeming to enjoy the fresh air. This planet seemed to have affected everyone. Most wondered why the whole galaxy couldn't be as beautiful as this. Even beforethe  
/rise of the Empire, many systems weren't that perfect. But now it felt like almost every system, both within the Empire and the Outer Rim, had fallen under the shadow of the Dark Side.

Kanan looked back at Ezra and slowed down so that they both walked side by side.

"You seemed a bit jittery when you woke up earlier," the elder Jedi whispered, "Everything alright?"

Ezra shrugged and nodded, "Yeah. I just had a dream, that's all."

Kanan rose a brow. "Bad?"

Ezra wanted to tell his master about it so bad, but he wasn't sure if this was the right time yet. He couldn't keep everything a secret though, so he nodded.

"You wanna talk about it?" Kanan asked kindly.

Ezra shrugged, "Maybe later, once we're out of here."

Kanan nodded, understanding. He agreed with his padawan that they needed to worry about getting _the Ghost_ fixed for now.

Ezra gave him a questionable look. "Kanan, I kinda don't get how we all don't remember how we crashed here. I mean, it doesn't really make much sense."

Kanan frowned and shook his head, "No Ezra, it doesn't. I agree. That's actually what I've been thinking about for the past half hour. I've even tried every single trick with the Force that I could think of to try and remember what happened before allthis,  
/but it's all been a dead end."

"Do you think somebody could've tampered with our minds?" Ezra asked.

Kanan shrugged, "I'm not sure. It is a possibility, but I really don't know who in the galaxy would have to power to do something like that."

Ezra looked confused. "You mean it's never been done before?"

Kanan shook his head. "Never. There's been brainwashing, mind control, but never taking away a piece of memory. That only happens to droids, not living beings. The Republic nor the Empire had ever achieved something like that."

Ezra looked down in thought. "Maybe someone finally broke that code."

"Someone, or something," Kanan answered, deep concern in his voice.

Ezra didn't talk any more about that, and remained silent for a good couple minutes. It concerned him that everybody had somehow fallen asleep too and woke up without any memory of the previous days. That probably meant that he hadn't slept throughwhatever  
/transpired. Ezra hoped that they'd find answers, in some shape or form.

The thought of something wiping their memories wasn't a pleasant feeling. Was it an Imperial trick? Or was it some other force at work? Ezra doubted either options were possible. Oh well, what was done is done. No doubt Commander Sato would debrief  
/them on what had transpired once they returned to Chopper Base.

Ezra tried to lighten the mood. "The Force seems to move so lightly around here."

Kanan smiled and nodded. "Indeed, it does. It's a rather relaxing feeling, honestly. Not even the Jedi Temple was as peaceful as this place."

That came as a surprise to Ezra. He'd never have expected Kanan to consider something better than the Jedi Order.

"Did you ever see many planets as beautiful as this?" Ezra asked out of curiosity.

"Some," Kanan replied with a shrug, "but not thousands. I was still a padawan when the Clone Wars occurred. Master Billaba sometimes took me to a couple planets as both a reward and a lesson."

Ezra rose a brow. "A lesson?"

Kanan nodded, "She wanted me to understand why the Jedi fought in the Clone Wars. Many systems considered us as murderers ever since the Battle of Geonosis." He looked down in guilt. "I even began to question why we fought in the war. Master Windu hadalways  
/said that we were keepers of the peace, not warriors. But my master was trying to help me understand that the Jedi fought in the war to keep planets beautiful and peaceful like this one."

"That's a curious way to teach," Ezra mused.

Kanan nodded. "But it helped out a lot. Master Billaba always reminded me that the Jedi thought of the galaxy first. Their lives, in our mind, mattered the most."

Ezra smiled. "She seemed to have taught you well."

Kanan smiled back and chuckled. "Thanks, kid."

No sooner had both Jedi stopped talking then Zeb suddenly stopped in his tracks and lowered his head. Everybody else halted and looked at him with a questionable look.

"Um, do you guys hear that?" the Lasat asked.

"Hear what?" asked Sabine, trying to listen.

Zeb put his hand to his ear, "There's a faint sound that keeps going on and on. It's not the crickets, I can promise you that."

Chopper made another grumbling sound.

Ezra rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Chopper. Zeb's not loosing his mind."

Hera suddenly put her hand to her ear too, and rose a brow. "I hear it too. Zeb's right, there's some sort of noise coming from the road up ahead."

Everybody fell silent and listened closely. Instantly, they all heard it too. It wasn't some weird or annoying sound. It was a pleasant sound. And it sounded almost familiar.

Zeb rose a brow. "Is that...music?"

Rex thought the same as Zeb and checked his comlink, trying to pinpoint where they were at.

"I think it actually is music," the clone exclaimed, "Scanner shows that the village is only a couple more miles away. We're very close."

Sabine let out a breath of relief. "Finally!"

Chopper mumbled something else, but nobody caught what he said. Nor did they really want to know. They all began to speed walk down the road. They soon came upon a little hill which they climbed up eagerly. The closer they got, the louder the music  
/became.

Once they reached the top of the hill, the crew found themselves gazing upon a serious of hills. Some of said hills contained strange looking plants that they never saw before while others had lights. Rex took out his binoculars and looked aroundat  
/the area. When he removed them from his eyes, he smiled at the others.

"We made it," he replied, "This is the village."

Ezra took the binoculars from Rex and looked around himself. What he saw fascinated him. The reason why he hadn't seen buildings on the hills were because they weren't on the hills. They were in them! Ezra could see many round doors and windows pokingout  
/from the sides of various little hills. It was actually pretty impressive. The inhabitants of this little land must've worked hard to make homes like these.

There were several lights located at the center of the village, and Ezra thought he could see several shapes running around. That was where the music was coming from.

"It looks like all the inhabitants are at the center of the village," Ezra told everybody else.

Hera nodded. "Alright everyone, let's head down that direction and ask for some parts. The sooner we getthe _Ghost fi_ xed, the sooner we can-"

She was interrupted when something flaming red shot into the air. It looked like a missile!

"Karabast, I knew it!" Zeb shouted as he ducked for cover, "Bucketheads are down there!"

However, before everyone else ducked, the 'missle' suddenly exploded and sent rays of beautiful gleaming light across the sky. Each ray was a different color. The crew heard a sudden cheer come from down in the village.

Ezra burst out laughing. "Yep, you're right, Zeb. There are Stormtroopers down there shooting fireworks."

Chopper began to laugh too in a grumbling metallic noise.

Zeb growled angrily and stood back up, both embarrassed and annoyed at getting laughed at.

"Shut up, kid!" he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest.

Hera rolled her eyes in aggravation and crossed her arms. "Alright you two, knock it off. Now seriously, let's get down there. I want my ship fixed!"

They descended down the hill keeping an eye on the center of the village. They were definitely positive that all the villagers were there, and it appeared to be some sort of party. Ezra kinda felt bad on having to interrupt it and hoped they'd forgivethem.

They came to a small stone bridge that went over a little stream. Said stream ran down by a strange looking building with a huge wheel on the side of it. That was the strangest sight Ezra had ever seen. He had never seen any device that worked likethat.  
/It was rather curious.

Another firework shot into the air as the crew got closer to the center of the village. Now Ezra could see what the whole party looked like. There were indeed a whole lot of colonists down there, as well as party tents and lots of food and drink.

There was even dancing going on, which seemed a bit odd to the crew.

Ezra caught sight of a large sign hanging above everything. Two poles held it up so it wouldn't get blown away. Fortunately, there were big letters on the sign so Ezra was able to read what it said.

'HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILBO BAGGINS'

"It's a birthday party," Ezra mused witha smile.

Zeb rolled his eyes. "Yes, we can see that kid. We can all read too!"

Kanan frowned and rose a brow. He was eyeing the villagers curiously. He put a hand on his chin muttered something under his breath. That was nothing new. As long as Ezra has known him, Kanan always did that. He wondered what his master was thinking about.  
/Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long to find out.

"The villagers seem...different," the elder Jedi muttered.

"Different how?" Ezra asked, confused.

However, that question was answered once they reached the party. They staged themselves behind a party tent and stared at the inhabitants wide eyed. Rex and Kanan looked alarmed. Zeb looked like he wanted to go hit something (like always). Sabine and  
/Hera had raised brows. And Ezra looked like he was going to burst out laughing.

"Seriously?!" Zeb whispered furiously, "We came all this way just to find a _children's_ party?!"

 **Hey, you guys may be noticing that things in this story are being misspelled. Please note that I didn't mispell anything. For some reason, Fanfiction is mixing up all my stuff. So I apologize for the typos. I've been trying to fix it, but I doubt it'll do much good. But please, enjoy the story. :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3 is up. :) Once again, I'm sorry for the typos. But please don't let that prevent you from enjoying the story. Just please ignore the typos. :)**

 **Chapter 3: The Hobbits and the Wizard**

Indeed, all of the people at the party appeared to be children. They were all over the place. The crew couldn't see their faces well, but it wasn't hard to figure out that they were children. There were some dancing in a wide open area, some eating  
/a huge cake and drinking out of mugs, and some that were just talking among themselves.

Ezra could make out that all these children had curly hair and had no shoes on, which was kinda weird to say the least. Another firework shot into the air which made the young Jedi jump for a second. Why would there be fireworks at a children's party?  
/Was there an adult setting them off? If not, then this planet had problems about safety.

Sabine looked around. "Okay, so we found the children. Anybody see the adults?"

Rex shook his head. "I've looked around almost ten times. There's no adults around here, from what I can see."

Ezra rose a brow. "Why wouldn't there be adults watching over this party? And also, who's shooting the fireworks? Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"That's not dangerous," Zeb replied sarcastically, "That's stupid!"

Kanan frowned as he looked at all the children. He was impossible to read whenever he was thinking to himself.

"Well," he finally said, "I suppose one of us can go up to the children and ask where the adults are."

"I'll do that," Ezra volunteered with a smile, "I think they'll be less threatened by me. I doubt you'd want to send the 'gundark' here to talk." He said, pointing at Zeb. "He'll probably scare them off."

Zeb growled and glared at the kid. "I'll scare you off in a second if you don't shut up!"

Kanan placed a hand on the Lasat's shoulder and signaled for him to calm down. He then looked at Ezra and nodded.

"I agree," he replied, "I think you'd be the best option." He then gave his apprentice a warning look. "Just don't say or _do_ anythingstupid."

Ezra shot him an innocent look as he walked out. "When have I ever let you down, Kanan?"

The elder Jedi didn't get to reply as Ezra walked into the crowd of children. He looked around to find the nearest child. He didn't want to attract too much attention. As soon as he found the closest child, he walked up and tapped him on the shoulder.  
/

"Excuse me?" he said.

However, when the child turned his head to face him, Ezra almost jumped back in alarm. The child didn't look like a child at all! He looked old enough to me Mr. Sumar!

"Yes, what do you want?" the old looking child asked impatiently, "I was about to go grab me some more ale, so make it snappy, lad!"

Ezra was speechless. Clearly, this wasn't a child at all. This was most definitely an adult party, which was a bit relieving. He didn't know what to say. And he could see that this old little person was getting even more annoyed with him. Deciding just  
/to be friendly, Ezra just said what he could think.

"I'm..uh..I'm sorry, mister. I didn't mean to interrupt you," he replied and bowed politely, "Please, continue whatever you were doing."

The old little person eyed him weirdly before walking off, shaking his head irritably.

"Big folk these days. Why do they always have to be a bother?!" Ezra heard him mutter.

"Okay, that wasn't awkward at all," Ezra muttered to himself.

Not sure what to do, he just walked back to join the others at the tent. Suddenly, Ezra jumped when he heard a loud yell interrupt from behind the tent. He recognized it instantly as Zeb's voice. Grabbing his lightsaber, Ezra rushed around the corner  
/to help out with whatever was going on.

He found everybody yelling at Zeb to stop for some reason. Ezra found the Lasat holding two other little people. One, he had pinned to the ground with his foot. The other, he was holding up with his right hand. Ezra also saw him holding some big red weirdly  
/shaped thing in his left hand.

Ezra saw that these two little people didn't look like children either. However, they weren't old. They looked to be in their 20s or 30s. One had orange-like curly hair and the other and brown curly hair. They were both staring at Zeb in horror.

"What's going on?!" Ezra asked, shocked.

Zeb looked up at the kid, "I'll tell ya what's going on! These two funny boys thought it'd be hilarious to run this big pointy red thing into my butt!"

"It was an accident, I swear!" the orange haired little person squealed, "We didn't see you there! We weren't meaning to cause trouble!"

The brown haired little person rose a brow. "Well, that's kinda not true..."

"Shut up, Pip! You're not helping!" the orange haired person snapped.

Zeb growled furiously at them. "How'd you two like to learn how to fly?!"

"Zeb, let them go!" Kanan ordered him, "You heard them, it was just an accident! They meant no harm!"

Zeb shot a glare at the Jedi, but finally sighed and let the two little people go. They scurried away from him and ran up to the rest of the crew.

Zeb pointed a warning finger at them. "Do that again, and I'll end you."

"Zeb, be quiet!" Kanan snapped at the Lasat. He then looked at the two little people. "I'm so sorry about that. He's just very overreactive."

Both of the little people looked at bit scared out of their minds but then nodded understandingly.

"That's quite alright," the orange haired one replied with a nod.

Ezra butted in, "Guys, I just thought that I should let you know that these aren't really children."

Sabine rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Yes, we already know that, Ezra!"

The two little people eyed the crew curiously. Their eyes mainly stayed focused on Hera, Zeb, and Chopper. The Twi'lek and Lasat both felt a tad bit uncomfortable at getting most of the attention, but the droid didn't seem to mind. He actually wasn't  
/really paying attention.

"What exactly are you?" the brown haired one asked them.

Hera blinked, taken aback by the question. "Uh, excuse me?"

Zeb growled and crossed his arms. "Well since we're pointing fingers here, I'd like to ask you two the same thing!"

The orange haired little man raised a brow. "Wait, you don't know what hobbits are?"

"Huh?! Zeb asked confused and angry, "What the heck is a hobbit?"

The orange haired man put his hands on his hips. "For your information, big purple creature, that's what we are. We're hobbits. Halflings."

Ezra put his hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh. "Big purple creature?"

Zeb shot Ezra a glare before looking back at the hobbits. "Well for _your_ information, _hobbits_ , I'm a Lasat." He then pointed at Hera and Chopper. "And she's a Twi'lek, and he's annoying."

Chopper grumbled at that remark.

The brown haired hobbit looked confused. "I've never heard of those creatures before. Have you Merry?"

The orange haired hobbit shook his head. "Can't say I have, Pippin." He then looked at the rest of the crew and gave a bow. "Forgive my manners. My friend and I were in a bit of a rush. My name is Meriadoc Brandybuck. But my friends call me Merry.  
/And this is my cousin, Peregrin Tooke, but everybody calls him Pippin."

Kanan smiled and bowed back. "A pleasure to meet you, Merry and Pippin. I'm Kanan Jarrus. This is Captain Rex, Sabine Wren, Hera Syndulla, Ezra Bridger, Zeb Orrilious, and Chopper," he said, indicating his companions.

They all nodded at the hobbits, not sure what to say. Ezra accidentally found himself staring at their hairy feet, but immediately snapped his head back up before they took notice. Fortunately, Merry and Pippin didn't see a thing. There was an awkward  
/silence for a couple minutes, but Pippin finally broke the silence.

"So..um..were you guys invited to the party?" he asked.

The crew exchanged glances, before Hera answered for them.

"Well, not exactly," she replied with a smile, "We kinda stumbled across your party by accident."

"Our ship crashed in the forest a couple miles from here," Sabine added, pointing at the woods behind them.

Both hobbits stared at them wide eyed all of a sudden.

"You guys have a ship?!" Pippin asked, shocked.

Hera rose a brow and chuckled, "Why yes we do."

Merry eyed them in utter disbelief. "You chaps must be rich if you own a ship!"

Kanan and Hera exchanged glances, before the Jedi responded. "Well, we're not exactly rich. We're just lucky I guess."

Merry looked at him curiously. "I guess so."

Hera then looked back at Kanan and gave him the look. To Ezra, that usually indicated to ask them for help. Before either Jedi could say anything, Rex knelt down at the hobbits and smiled at them kindly.

"We were wondering if you and your people had parts we can buy to repair our ship," he explained, "It's seriously damaged."

Merry and Pippin looked exchanged glances, not sure what to do. They looked down in thought, and Ezra didn't like the look of that. Obviously these two had no idea how to repair a ship, otherwise they'd volunteer to help immediately. Hera and Kanan  
/seemed to be getting that impression too.

Zeb leaned back against the tent, both bored and trying to restrain himself from doing anything stupid. Sabine and Rex looked at each other, keeping their fingers crossed that they could get help. Finally, Merry spoke up.

"I'm sorry, but we don't really know anything about repairing ships," he replied, "That's just not me and my cousin's style."

Zeb rose a mocking brow, "What is your style? Driving people crazy?"

Hera glared at the Lasat, "Zeb!"

Merry and Pippin seemed to take no mind to him and just continued thinking.

"Perhaps you should talk to Gandalf," Pippin suggested, "He'd probably know what to do better than us."

Ezra crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Wait, who's Gandalf?"

Merry looked around the other side of the party tent, seeming to be looking for something. Ezra suddenly saw him go pale in the face.

"Gandalf's the person who's coming this way!" he exclaimed in panic. He turned to his cousin quickly, "Pippin, grab the firework and let's get out of here!" He then charged off to another party tent.

Pippin grabbed the firework and was about to follow his cousin but then turned to the crew.

"It was nice meeting you," he said cheerfully, before charging to the other tent.

The crew looked to the other side of the tent and were stunned to see the first normal sized person coming towards them. Apparently he had spotted them because he was looking straight at them.

He had a long grey beard, a long crooked brown staff, a pointy hat, and was dressed in grey clothing. There was a look in his eye that showed both kindness and suspicion. It honestly made Ezra feel a bit uncomfortable, and he wasn't the only one.

The rest of the crew, except for Chopper, had an unnatural feeling when looking into the eyes of this old man.

Gandalf stood before them, looking at each one of them. His gaze stayed the longest on Hera, Zeb, and Chopper. They both were becoming pretty annoyed at getting stared at so much. Had this world never heard of Lasats or Twi'leks?! However, Gandalf  
/didn't seem to judge them. He didn't seem shocked the slightest by their appearance, and that was honestly surprising.

Finally, he spoke. "Who are you?"

Kanan stepped forward and bowed. "We apologize for the intrusion of your party, Mr. Gandalf. We meant no harm. We are just kind of in need of some help."

Gandalf raised a brow in question. "Help?"

"Yes," Kanan replied with a nod (slightly becoming nervous of the man's stare), "We come from very far away."

Gandalf eyes him curiously and nodded slowly. "I see. Tell me, my friends, what are your names?"

Kanan stuttered for a second before replying. "My name is Kanan Jarrus. These are my companions: Hera, Ezra, Sabine, Rex, Zeb, and Chopper."

Before he could continue, Hera spoke up. "Our ship crashed, and we are in need of some serious repair, otherwise we can't get back to where we came from."

Kanan nodded in agreement. "Can you help us?"

Gandalf didn't respond. His eyes stared each one of them over again. Sabine slightly looked down at the ground. Rex attempted to meet the old man's gaze evenly. Zeb began to whistle nervously. And Ezra just scratched his arm. Chopper just grumbled  
/and beeped like he always did.

After examining them, Gandalf spoke again. "How did you crash, if I may ask?"

Kanan and Hera looked at each other again. They weren't sure how to explain to this man that they had no idea how they got there. They were afraid he'd think they went nuts. Ezra decided to tell him the truth, seeing as no one else was going to.

"We don't know, Mr. Gandalf," he explained, "None of us have a clue as to how we got here. It seems like our memories got wiped by someone or something."

Kanan gave a nervous grin before nodding. "My apprentice is correct."

Gandalf looked down in thought and frowned. "Hmm, I see no falsehood in your tale, though you do not reveal all," he replied, giving them all a piercing stare.

Ezra eyed him in disbelief. How could this man know whether they were telling the truth or not?! Was he some sort of Jedi? No, that's not possible. Well, at least Ezra didn't think it was possible.

Gandalf continued, "Be that as it may, I sense no evil in you either." He smiled at them kindly. "And I understand your problem. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if there will be anyone here in the Shire that can help you, but I don't suppose there's

any hurt in trying to ask."

Kanan blinked. "Um, the Shire sir? Forgive me, but I don't know what that is."

Gandalf looked baffled by the question. "Why, it's what you're in! This is the Shire, the homeland of the hobbits. They are a rather peaceful folk who are very fond of the comforts of home." He eyed him weirdly. "How do you not know that?"

Kanan gulped.

"Um..like I said, we are from _really_ faraway."

Gandalf gave him another suspicious look. How much about them did this man know?! Ezra had a hard time reading him more than Kanan. This man was unreadable. Instead of reading him, Ezra found that it'd kinda be the other way around. But then,

Gandalf smiled again.

"My friends, who am I to send you on your way?" he asked with a chuckle, "You look weary from your travels and are in need of some food and water. You are quite welcome, if you'd like, to join the festivities. This party is to celebrate thebirthdays  
/of my dear friend, Bilbo Baggins, and his nephew, Frodo. If you are in need of shelter, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to have you stay in their home until you are ready to leave. So come, enjoy yourselves and be merry."

He chuckled and waved them farewell before going back to join the party.

Zeb eyed the old man's back and grunted, "I don't trust him. That look gives me the creeps."

Sabine shrugged, "I'm not gonna lie, I kinda got creeped out too, but he seemed very kind. He's not an enemy."

Kanan nodded. "I agree."

Ezra cleared his throat loudly and walked in front of everybody else. "Well, I don't know about you, but I am kinda hungry. And Gandalf was nice enough to invite us to this birthday party."

Kanan frowned. "But we don't have any time for parties, Ezra. We need to get the _Ghost Repaired_ before the Empire tracks us here."

"I know," Ezra nodded in agreement, "but if you guys were paying attention, it sounds like everybody in town is here at the party. So while we feast and fill ourselves up, we can be sneaky and ask around for help. There's gotta be somebodywho can

help us."

Zeb rose a brow and groaned. "I hate to agree with the kid, but he's got a point. One, I am very famished, and the food here smells good. And two, there has to be a repairman here among all these... _hobbits_."

Kanan looked at everybody else, and could tell that they all agreed. Plus, Ezra could tell that his master was kind of hungry too.

Kanan just sighed and nodded. "Fine. Let's go ahead and enjoy a party."

Ezra simply smiled and walked into the party. Zeb and Sabine exchanged glances before following the kid. The last three, plus the droid, simply smiled and shook their heads before following the others. Out of all the struggles and battles withthe

Empire, they could never deny a good party and a good meal.


	5. Chapter 5

**Enjoy, everybody. :) As usual, please ignore any typos. Please subscribe and tell me your thoughts on this story. Now, presenting chapter 4 of STAR WARS: Rebels of the Ring. :)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 ****

 **Chapter 4: A Trick of Unknown Origin**

 ****

 ****

Kanan had to confess that he had never been to such a merry party in all his life. These hobbits were a very interesting species. When Gandalf had told them that these creatures were fond of the comforts of home, he was definitely not lying. The Jedi  
Knight could see various things within the party that you'd normally find within someone's residence. There was no denying that these hobbits were a merry folk.

Kanan was sitting next to Hera on a bench next to some of the refreshment tents. They received a ton of weird glances from the locals as they were grabbing themselves some cake. Well, Hera was mainly the one receiving the weird glances. It was no doubt  
starting to get old for the Twi'lek pilot. Kanan could see her fidgeting, and that usually meant she was annoyed.

He smirked at here, "You seem to be the center of the party tonight."

Hera shot him a glare. "Yes, and it's driving me nuts," she replied before glancing at the hobbits. "What's with these people?! They act like they've never seen a Twi'lek before!"

Kanan rose a brow and glanced at them as well. "Honestly, I don't think they've even heard of Twi'leks, or Lasats, or even droids. Those two hobbits, Merry and Pippin, gave you and Zeb the weirdest stare I've ever seen."

"Really?" Hera replied sarcastically, "I didn't notice."

Kanan just chuckled and shook his head before watching more of the party. Almost all the younger hobbits had rushed out into the open area to dance. Well, all except for one. Kanan notices this one particular hobbit, who looked a tad bit overweight, glancing  
off and on at this young female hobbit while also drinking a mug. It wasn't hard for Kanan to detect a love interest between those two.

Love. All Jedi had been taught that attachments led to the Dark Side, and that they should never become close to anybody. Well, Kanan was a big failure on that part. He'd never share this with anyone, but during the years of flying on _the Ghost_ he  
had started to develop a thing for Hera. To put it simply, he considered her more than just a friend.

Of course, Kanan would never tell her that in a million years. Plus, there was a war going on, and there was simply no time for attachments. Maybe after they finally overthrew the Empire, he'd tell Hera. But for now, that was a secret that'd be kept in  
the back of his mind.

Kanan was suddenly taken out of his deep thinking when Sabine showed up. She, along with Ezra, Zeb, and Rex, had been looking over the party, both to grab something to eat and find a repairman. She had a smile on her face, which was a good sign.

Hera looked at her. "Well?"

"I've got some good news," Sabine replied cheerfully, "I was just talking with one of the local hobbits by the firework cart. He told me that he was open to negotiating a price to repair our ship."

"He's willing to repair it?" Kanan asked, finally relieved that there was good news.

Sabine shrugged, "If we have the right amount of money."

"Good thing we brought credits, then,"Hera commented with a smirk.

They found the hobbit where Sabine had told them: Sitting in a seat close to a firework cart. Kanan rose a brow at seeing that the cart had wheels instead of simply hovering off the ground. Curious locals indeed.

Rex was talking to the hobbit, but then turned when he saw his comrades approaching. The hobbit introduced himself as Nob Bolger. Like all the other locals, he eyed Hera strangely for a second, but then listened as Kanan explained to him about their situation.  
The Jedi Knight then showed him the credits.

Nob examined them curiously, seeming strangely fascinated in them.

"I ain't ever seen shillings like these before," he replied in awe, "They oughta be worth something."

Kanan and Hera exchanged glances. These locals didn't know about credits either?

Sabine folded her arms over her chest. "So? Do we have a deal?"

Nob glanced up at Kanan. "Where is your ship?"

"An hour away deep in the forest," the Jedi replied, pointing to the path far off in the distance.

Nob frowned. "That means I'll have to drive my cart all the way down there." He looked at the credits again. "Oh well, I suppose it's worth the travel. Plus, might never see shillings like these again."

He then stood up and shook hands with Kanan.

"You got yourself a deal," he replied.

Kanan smiled and nodded. "You have our deepest thanks."

Suddenly, everybody was taken by surprise when the firework tent all of a sudden launched into the sky, engulfed in flame. Rex, Hera, and Sabine had taken out their blasters, scared to death. Kanan looked towards the direction of where the tent had launched  
and saw two hobbits covered in ash and smoke, looking up at the sky, horrified.

He recognized them as Merry and Pippin, and instantly realized what had happened. The red thing that the two hobbits had earlier was a firework, and they had accidentally launched it in the tent. Kanan looked up and watched as the firework exploded, and  
then suddenly transformed into a dragon. It swooped down towards the fleeing hobbits, but then went back into the air again, once again exploding into several rays of light.

The terrified hobbits suddenly burst out laughing and clapped. Kanan couldn't help but grin at the little show as well. He signaled for his companions to put their weapons away, indicating that everything was alright. He suddenly heard a squeal of pain  
and turned around.

He was startled to find Gandalf, who had appeared out of nowhere, grabbing the ears of the two hobbits. A frown was on the old man's face.

"Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Tooke," he said, "I might've known."

Kanan almost felt sorry for the hobbits, but knew that they probably deserved it, considering that they had destroyed a tent, that just happened to be Gandalf's.

While the old man put them to work at cleaning up his things, the Jedi, along with his companions,walked back out to the party and found Ezra and Zeb sitting at a table, enjoying a meal. Chopper just stood by, grumbling at the hobbits rushing past  
him.

Zeb looked up at them, "Where've you guys been? You missed the whole show."

Sabine smirked as she sat down, "We actually saw it take off."

Hera looked at the plates bemusedly as she saw a whole ton of food on it. Kanan glanced at it too, and found it as curious as everything else he'd seen in this world. He had never seen food like this before, but it smelt really good, he had to admit.

"You two seem to be enjoying yourselves," he mused.

Ezra grinned, "Oh you don't know the half of it. The food here is amazing!"

Zeb sipped a mug and grinned. "The drink's not too bad either."

Rex took a cup and drank it. He immediately pulled back and coughed a little. The drink had quite a zing to it. Though, the clone couldn't deny that it had a pretty addicting taste to it.

"What even is it?" he asked.

Zeb shrugged as he took another drink, "The locals call it ale, though I have no idea why. It kinda sounds like a silly name, to be honest."

Rex chuckled as he drank some more as well. "Honestly, I don't know what other name would even fit a drink like this."

Ezra looked over at Hera. "Any luck with getting a repairman?"

"Actually yes," Hera replied with a pleased smile, "He's gonna take a look at our ship tomorrow morning."

Ezra frowned, seeming a bit disappointed. "That's a pity. I was actually starting to enjoy this planet."

Kanan was about to remind his padawan whythey couldn't stay, but before he could do so, all the hobbits suddenly cheered and applauded. He turned his attention to the stage at the front of the party. An old looking hobbit was climbing up, setting  
down a mug of ale that was in his hand. Kanan heard a couple hobbits yell "Speech!" and immediately took a guess that the hobbit was the host of the party, Bilbo Baggins.

Bilbo climbed up onto a barrel so that everyone could see him clearly and gave a deep and humble bow. Kanan grinned at that, and could immediately tell that this old hobbit was indeed very friendly.

Once the applause died down, Bilbo finally spoke. "My dear Bagginses and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks, Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bulgers, Bracegirdles, and Proudfoots-"

"That's feet!" one of the Proudfoots yelled, receiving a laugh from everyone else.

Zeb eyed the hobbit strangely for a second before looking back up at Bilbo. Everybodyelse within the crewjust grinned and continued listening.

"Today is my one-hundred and eleventh birthday!" Bilbo continued with a smile.

As all the hobbits were yelling "Happy Birthday!" the whole crew, especially Kanan, stared up at the hobbit in shock. 111 years old?! Who could live that long?! Nobody in the galaxy, except for Master Yoda (who was 900 years old), could live for that  
long.

"And I'm very happy," Bilbo continued, "to welcome to my party some very special guests. Strangers from a faraway land that had the pleasure of joining me thisevening."

A couple hobbits who had met the crew of _the Ghost_ rose their mugs to them and drank to their health.

"And while they have enjoyed themselves, I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting them," Bilbo chuckled and kindly waved to them. That comment made all the other hobbits laugh as well.

Kanan smiled. This Bilbo sure knew how to give a speech. He was probably one of the nicest hobbits he had ever met. The hobbit then went back to continuing his speech.

"Alas, eleventy-one years is too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable hobbits." That received another applause from the crowd. "I don't know half of you as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you  
deserve."

All hobbits fell silent to that, and Ezra and Zeb stifled a chuckle, although they were kind of confused with the comment. Kanan and Hera looked at each other before focusing on the elderly hobbit again.

However, when they looked back up at the stage, a curious thing happened. Bilbo had fallen silent. He seemed nervous all if a sudden, which kind of confused Kanan. Did the hobbit have stage fright? Did he regret something he said? The Jedi watched as  
Bilbo put his hands behind his back and mutter something under his breath. What was going on? This was actualły starting to concern Kanan a bit.

Finally, Bilbo spoke again. "I-I regret to announce that this is the end. I'm going now. I bid you all avery fond farewell."

Kanan saw the hobbit look at someone from within the crowd before saying, "Goodbye."

Suddenly, within the blink of an eye, Bilbo vanished into thin air! All the hobbits suddenly exclaimed in horror and shock and Kanan's eyes went wide. Everybody was speechless and wondering the same question.

What had just happened?!


	6. Chapter 6

**Back with Chapter 5. :) I'd like to thank you guys for your reviews and suggestions. They are really appreciated. :) I hope you enjoy reading more of this story. I really enjoy writing it. :)**

 **Chapter 5: Lodgings at Bag End**

Everyone was at an utter loss for words. Hera's eyes were wide with complete shock. Ezra looked like he had seen a ghost. Zeb's mouth was hanging open. Sabine and Kanan both looked completely bewildered. Rex was rubbing his eyes, thinking that he was  
/just seeing things. And Chopper just grumbled to himself, not really caring about what had happened.

The hobbits had gotten up out of their seats and were searching the stage. Kanan could see mixed expressions on all their faces. Some were completely terrified and others were angry and red in the face. It was quite clear that none of the locals found  
/this 'trick' amusing.

Zeb blinked, before finally breaking the silence, "Um, please tell me I'm not the only one who saw that."

Kanan frowned, staring at the stage deep in thought.

Hera glanced over at him, "Kanan?"

The Jedi Knight nodded, "I saw it too."

Sabine leaned against the table and placed a hand on her forehead. "I don't know what the heck I saw. That wasn't normal, I can tell you that."

"No, that was not," Kanan nodded in agreement.

His eyes scanned every corner of the stage. In all his years as a Jedi, he had never seen something like this. He never even thought it possible for someone to just vanish. Kanan half expected to see Bilbo come back on the stage laughing and saying everything  
/was fine. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. He sawno sign of the old hobbit anywhere.

Ezra looked over at his master in disbelief. "Kanan, what was that?! Where did he go?!"

Kanan shrugged. "I don't know, Ezra. I honestly haven't the slightest clue."

He really didn't know anything anymore. So much had happened in just one day. First, they all lost their memories, then joined a party, and now this. What had they gotten themselves into?

Rex smirked, trying to lighten the mood. "This host of ours sure knows how to send the audience into a frenzy, doesn't he?"

Sabine shrugged. "He's something else, I'll give him that."

Ezra suddenlyhad a worried look on his face. "You don't think something bad happened to him, do you?"

Hera shook her head reassuringly. "No. There's gotta be some sort of explanation."

Sabine looked around at the rest of the party. The hobbits had given up looking on the stage and were now scouring the party tents. Some were yelling, "Where's that Baggins gone off to?!" Of course, no one had the slightest idea where Bilbo had gone.  
/However, Sabine suddenlynoticed that the old hobbit wasn't the only one missing.

"Um, do you think thatexplanation might involve theold guy?" she asked.

Kanan rose a brow, "What makes you think that?"

The Mandalorian pointed around the whole party field. "Gandalf's missing too."

The crew looked around and sure enough, they saw no sign of the old man. He seemed to have vanished into thin air just like their host. Kanan frowned. This Gandalf guy sure had a habit of coming and going whenever he pleased. There was something about  
/that man that the Jedi Knight striked as...odd.

Yes, Gandalf was kind, but he just didn't seem to be a normal human being. There was this look in his eye. A look that honestly had made Kanan feel uncomfortable.

Zeb groaned and took a sip from his mug, "Great, now the old man's disappeared."

"Gandalf didn't disappear," a sudden voice said.

Everybody turned around and saw Merry and Pippin come up and sit on a bench next to Zeb.

"We saw him going up to Bag End," Pippin explained.

He then took a sip out of Zeb's mug, not knowing that it was his. Neither hobbits saw the scowl the Lasat shot at them.

"Bag End?" Rex asked, "What's that?"

"Bilbo and Frodo live there," Merry replied, taking the mug from Pippin and sipping it himself, "It's actually the largest house in all of Hobbiton. I imagine that's where Bilbo ran off to."

Kanan and Hera exchanged glances. Gandalf had mentioned something about them staying with the two hobbits until _the Ghost_ was repaired. If the old man had gone up to Bag End, then it might not be that bad of an idea that they go there as well.  
/Plus,

it'd be pointless to take an hour long journey back to _the Ghost_ , especially on a late night like this.

Kanan was also a bit concerned about Bilbo. He needed to know if the old hobbit was alright. Like all the other party members, he didn't find that little trick of his to be funny.

Kanan looked at Merry and Pippin, "Where is this Bag End, if I may ask?"

Merry pointed up to the toppest (and largest)hill in the Shire, "They live right there. Actually, if youlook closely, you can see a light in there."

They all looked up towards Bag End. Indeed, Kanan saw a dim light coming from within the residence. Somebody was in there. The Jedi figured it could either be Bilbo or Gandalf, or even both. Either way, they needed shelter for the night.

Kanan turned to Hera. "Ezra and I will go up to Bag End and negotiate staying for the night. You guys go ahead and wait here in case Bilbo comes back."

Hera nodded in understanding.

Ezra groaned and slammed his head against the table. "Seriously? I have to go to?"

Kanan rolled his eyes and stood up. "Let's go, Ezra."

Chopper made another laughing noise, resulting in the young Jedi slapping him on the dome.

Zeb chuckled. "Better get moving, kid." He then looked over at Merry and Pippin as they continued to sip his drink. He growled and snatched it away from them, "Give me that! Go get your own drink!"

Both hobbits went pale when they realized it was his drink, and immediately moved to another seat. Apparently they were not big fans of the idea of the Lasat 'ending them.'

Meanwhile,Kanan and Ezra were beginning to make their way to Bag End. It was then that the two Jedi were finally able to hear the pleasant sound of the crickets again. Honestly, that just happened to calm their nerves. They had quite enough of a

party for one night. They welcomed the pleasant sounds of nature.

Kanan looked back towards the party and just shook his head.

"This world is getting curiouser and curiouser by the minute," he muttered.

Ezra eyed him in surprise. "You curious?! I never thought I'd see the day."

"Ha ha," Kanan replied with a smirk, "Even the master can get puzzled at things, Ezra."

The padawan just shook his head in disbelief. "Kanan, you've literally surprised me a lot today. I mean, up till now, I thought you knew everything."

Kanan just grinned and shook his head. "Nobody ever knows everything, Ezra. I honestly used to think the same thing with my master."

Ezra rose a curious brow. "Oh really? When did that all change?"

Immediately, the grin on Kanan's face suddenly faded. He looked down to the ground.

"When the Jedi Order ended," he replied.

Ezra's smile faded as well, and he instantly felt sorry for asking the question. He knew Kanan never liked to think about the past, especially with what happened to the Jedi. Of course, he had never evenbeen born when it happened, but he could just  
/picture what it must've been like. The fallen bodies, the carnage, the Sith. It made him slightly shiver a bit.

Ezra sighed, "Kanan, I'm so sorry."

Kanan placed a hand on his padawan's shoulder, "Don't be. Neither Master Billaba nor the Jedi Order saw Order 66 coming. Even the very wise can't predict the future."

Ezra was about to say something else, but then both Jedi all of a sudden heard someone humming a little up the road. They both looked at each other for a minute before speed walking around the corner of the hill.

Kanan sighed with relief when he saw Bilbo, who was definitely alive and well, walking down the road towards them. He was wearing a backpack, which the Jedi saw had all of his things. Kanan rosea brow. Was he going somewhere?

Bilbo looked up and saw them. He smiled kindly at them and gave them a wave. Kanan and Ezra, not sure what exactly to do, gave him a short bow, which was the Jedi symbol for respect. Bilbo returned saidbow, although it wasn't as good. With one more  
/wave, the elder hobbit walked passed the two Jedi and headed down a path that seemed to be leaving the Shire.

"Where's he off to?" Ezra asked curiously.

Kanan shrugged, "I'm not exactly sure." He then lightly grinned. "But he seems happy. I'm beginning to think that little trick at the party was intentional."

Ezra nodded in agreement. He looked up towards the road ahead and saw that Bag End yet still had a light on.

"Uh Kanan? I think there's still people in there," he said, pointing to the house.

Kanan looked up and saw it too. "Looks like Bilbo wasn't the only one there." He glanced at his padawan, "We'd better go take a look."

They walked up to Bag End, and stared in awe at the sight. It was different, but it was beautiful. There was a nice garden, along with a small bench that sat alongside the path, and stone steps that led up to a beautifully painted round green door. Ezra  
/let out a whistle of admiration before following his master through the gate and up the stone steps.

They found the door to be slightly open, and they could hear voices inside. One voice, Kanan recognized immediately as Gandalf's.

"Put it somewhere out of sight," he heard the old man say.

Kanan shot Ezra a glance before knocking on the door. He then heard footsteps coming their way and before he knew it, Gandalf opened the door. He had a frown on his face for a second, but when he saw it was Kanan and Ezra, he instantly smiled.

"Ah," he exclaimed, "Kanan Jarrus."

Kanan gave a slight grin and bowed, "Uh, hello again."

Gandalf rose both of his brows. "You must be here to seek lodgings, am I right?"

Once again, both Jedi found themselves amazed at how this guy seemed to read minds.

"Um yes," Kanan replied with a nod, "I figured this was the place you had suggested to me and my crew."

Gandalf smiled and nodded. "Indeed. I'm sure you will find plenty of room for your companions here. Unfortunately, you shall now have only one host. Bilbo, I'm afraid, has left rather unexpectedly. But his nephew, Frodo, is still here, and I'm sure he'd  
/have no problem with your stay."

Both Jedi nodded understandingly. They saw no problem with the arrangements. Just then, another hobbit appeared behind Gandalf. He had curly black hair and looked to be in his 30s.

Gandalf glanced down beside him. "Ah, speaking of which, this is Frodo Baggins." He then moved aside so the young hobbit could see Ezra and Kanan, "Frodo, this is Kanan Jarrus and his associate, Ezra Bridger."

Frodo smiled and nodded to them, "Pleased to meet you."

Kanan returned said smile and bowed, along with Ezra. "Likewise, Mr. Baggins. I'm so sorry to hear of your uncle's departure."

"Thank you," Frodo replied with a small smile, seeming a little bit depressed about the matter.

Ezra felt sorry for the hobbit. He could tell that he and Bilbo had to have been very close before the party. He kind of knew that feeling as well. Except, unlike Ezra's parents, Bilbo wasn't dead. The young Jedi still hated to think about his parents  
/though. The thought of them actually being gone was too much for him to bare.

"Um, they, along with a couple others,were hoping to seek lodgings in Bag End for a while, if that's alright with you, Frodo," Gandalf explained to the hobbit, "A party of seven, I believe."

Frodo nodded, "Of course, I'm good with that." He smiled, "I could honestly use the company."

"Thank you, Frodo," Kanan replied, "My crew and I are very grateful."

The two Jedi were invited inside the house. They were bewildered to see how comfy and well furnished it was. There were two seperate hallways. One that led to the kitchen, and the other that led to the rooms. The only thing that Kanan wasn't very fond  
/of was that he was a bit too tall and accidentally hit his head against the chandaler. Ezra almost burst out laughing at that.

Fortunately, the young Jedi was just about the right height, except for being a bit taller than the hobbits.

Kanan rubbed his bruised forehead, but nodded, "This will be very acceptable, thank you."

"Excellent," Gandalf replied with a smile, "I'll leave you to it then."

Frodo suddenly gave the old man a questionable look. "Wait, Gandalf where are you going?"

Gandalf grabbed his hat and walking stick and was making his way to the door. He seemed to be in a bit of a hurry.

"There are some things that I must see to," he explained, deep concern in his voice.

"What things?" Frodo asked, completely confused.

"Questions," Gandalf answered with a frown, "Questions that need answering."

"But you only just arrived," Frodo replied, "I don't understand."

Gandalf stopped at the doorway and turned around to look at the hobbit. For the first time today, Kanan actually saw deep worry in the old man's eyes.

"Neither do I," Gandalf replied with a sad smile.

Kanan and Ezra exchanged glances. Both were very confused as well with the old man's sudden behavior. What could'vepossibly happened to make him this concerned?

Gandalf then leaned down to Frodo and placed a kind, but stern, hand on his shoulder.

"Keep it secret," he whispered, "Keep it safe." He then turned and left the house.

Kanan rose a brow. Keep what secret and safe? What was he talking about? He then looked at Frodo and instantly noticed that the hobbit was holding a small envelope. Ezra saw it too and shot his master a confused look. Kanan shrugged, not knowing what  
/it was.

Their questions, however, would have to wait for the time being. For now, they needed to contact the rest of the crew and get them up to Bag End. It had been a long day, and Kanan most definitely knew that he could use some sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone. :) So I was recently asked if I was going to follow the book and have Frodo leave the Shire 17 years after Bilbo left. I was thinking about it, but kinda thought that may be a bit too long of a time for the crew of** _ **the Ghost**_ **to stay in the Shire. So, I'll probably follow the movie and have it be like several weeks instead. I hope thatyou guys understand. :) Anyways, here is Chapter 6. Hope you guys enjoy. :)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 **Chapter 6: An Unfortunate Event**

 ****

 ****

The crew had slept soundly in Bag End that night. It was probably the best rest that they had ever had in a long time. With the Empire constantly being in pursuit of them, it was impossible for the rebellion to get much rest. They definitely deserved  
itthough. For once, they were happy that they had to wait till morning to get _the Ghost_ repaired.

When the rest of the team had arrived at Bag End, Frodo had shown them to a couple spare rooms that Bilbo usually kept for guests. The arrangements were a tad bit small, but everybody was more than happy to take it. Rex and Kanan shared one room, Hera  
and Sabine took the second, while Zeb and Ezra took the third. Chopper stayed out in the hallway and had powered himself down.

Of course, Frodo, like most of the other hobbits, had stared curiously at the astromech droid, as well as the Lasat and Twi'lek. They were a strange species to be sure, but he was rather fascinated with them, and didn't seem to mind at all. That was a  
first.

The only person among the crew who did not sleep that night was Ezra. The padawan had no heart to fall asleep. Why? Well, he never said this to anyone, but the strange vision he had still haunted him. He didn't want to have it again, so he forced himself  
to stay awake. He did everything possible: Pinch himself, slap himself, pour water on top of his face. Fortunately, those efforts had proven successful.

However, when the dawn finally came, Ezra could feel the weariness start to come over him. But he didn't want the others to see it. Trying to keep himself distracted, the young Jedi decided to go out into the hallway and look around. He was actually quite  
fortunate that he wasn't too tall for this 'hobbit hole', as Frodo called it. However, the youth noticed that his head was almost against the ceiling. Good thing they didn't crash here a couple years later.

As Ezra roamed the hallways of Bag End, he saw some rather unique items. For starters, he noticed that there was old fashioned armor hanging along the walks as decoration. Ezra had never seen something like that in a long time. Also, there were books.  
Not holo-books or data pads. Just books. These has to be the rarest things to ever exist in the galaxy.

Ezra wasn'tsurprised to find old fashioned maps as well. They were in a rather small but pleasant study. He suspected that this must've belonged to Bilbo. However, the one map that seemed to interest Ezra the mostwas one that had a single  
mountain on it. Erebor it was named (or the Lonely Mountain). A red dragon was also painted on the side of it, which Ezra found a bit odd.

"You know you're probably not allowed to be in here, right?" asked a sudden voice.

Ezra turned to see Sabine leaning against the door to the study, her arms were folded across her chest.

"When did you get up?!" Ezra asked, a bit startled. He was ashamed to admit that he hadn't heard the Mandalorian coming.

"Right after you did," Sabine smirked, "Your big feet made a loud echo as you were walking through the hallway."

"You're hilarious," Ezra replied, rolling his eyes.

Sabine rose a curious brow as she walked into the study, "What're you doing up so early anyway? You're usually a heavy sleeper."

Ezra shot her an annoyed glare before looking at the map again, "I didn't get a whole lot of sleep last night. That can happen sometimes."

"Yeah, but since when has it ever happened to you?" the Mandalorian asked jokingly.

Ezra ignored the question and just studied more of the map. He had to admit, despite being a bit strange, this Erebor was rather pretty interesting, especially the strange words on the bottom of the map. It looked like someone had recently written the  
words on therewith ink.

"What, in all the gakaxy, do these words say?" Ezra asked.

Sabine shrugged, looking at the map as well. "How should I know? The only language I'm familiar with is Mandalorian."

" _Stand by the grey stone when the thrush knocks. And the setting sun with the last light of Durin's day will shine upon the keyhole_ ," another sudden voice replied.

Both Ezra and Sabine were startled to find Frodo standing right behind them, smiling. The hobbit was only a few inches shorter than the two youths. He was holding a hot drink in his hand as he studied the map.

"It's Elvish," Frodo explained to them. "Bilbo taught me tons of it when I came to live with him. His favorite was this one," he said, pointing to the words on the map.

Ezra blinked, "Wait, elves? They're real?"

Frodo looked surprised by the question, "Why of course they're real! Bilbo told me that he encountered hundreds of them on his adventures."

Sabine rose a confused brow when she heard that, "I thought hobbits were fond of the comforts of home. Gandalf told us that last night."

Frodo chuckled amusingly, "Indeed we are. As a matter of fact, we Bagginses used to be very well thought of. We never had any adventures of did anything unexpected."

Ezra looked a bit shocked to hear that, "What happened?"

Frodo sat back in an armchair, still smiling. "Well, Bilbo was minding his usual business one night when the wizard himself appeared, accompanied by 13 dwarves."

Sabine heldup a hand for him to pause real quick, "Wizard? What wizard?"

Frodo eyedher strangely, "Why Gandalf, of course."

Ezra's eyes went wide with shock, "He's a wizard?!"

"Why yes," Frodo replied, "Unfortunatly, he's the only one who comes around these parts." He rose a brow. "How did you not know Gandalf was a wizard?"

"Um," Ezra stuttered, not sure how to explain this to the hobbit, "Well, we uh come from a very faraway land."

Frodo nodded, although he still seemed confused with their response. Anyways, he continued his story. He told Ezra and Sabine of how Gandalf and a company of 13 dwarves were on Bilbo's doorstep, and dragged the old hobbit on an adventure to reclaim the  
treasure of Erebor from the fearsomedragon, Smaug. He also told them of the dangerous things that his uncle had encountered along the way: Trolls, goblins, orcs, wargs, and a mysterious and skulky creature known as Gollum.

Neither the Jedi padawan nor the Mandalorian had ever heard of such creatures before, and were fascinated by Frodo's description of them. Apparently, this little world had lands that weren't as merry as the Shire.

It was later in the morning when the rest of the crew woke up. Unfortunatly, unlike Ezra and Sabine, they were instantly wide awake when they hit their heads against the house's ceiling. None of them were too happy about it, especially Zeb. The Lasat  
looked like he wanted to smash the nearest thing in sight.

They brightened up, however, when Frodo presented them with a lovely hot breakfast. They all dug in eagerly. The food lookedstrange, but it tastes amazing. Zeb soon became a big fan of these little meats called sausage and bacon. It had to be the  
tastiest meat in the whole galaxy. Everybody else agreedwith the Lasat.

It was after they ate when Ezra and Sabine informed them of Gandalf actually being a wizard.

"Well, that explains a great deal," Rex commented. "I had no idea wizards still existed."

Kanan nodded, "I don't think any of us did. It's rather curious. But that sure answers the question to how he can come and go whenever he pleases."

Zeb smirked, "Let's be glad that we met one of the good ones, and not one of the bad ones."

Rex nodded in agreement, "You can say that again."

"Where did he go off to, anyways?" Hera asked curiously.

Kanan shrugged, "I don't know. He ran off tosomewhere after me and Ezra made sleeping arrangements with Frodo. He was in some sort of hurry."

Speaking of Frodo, the crew spotted the hobbit roaming the hallway and walk up to a small chest. He was holding a small envelope in his hand. Both Ezra and Kanan recognized it as the envelope they had seen last night. Frodo placed said envelope into the  
chest, closed it, and locked it. He noticed that they were all staring at him and simply smiled at thembefore walking off.

Zeb stared atthe chest, a curious gleam in his eye, "Anybody want to break into the chest and see what's in that envelope?"

Hera shot him a disappointed glare, "Um no I don't! It's none of our business, Zeb. Plus, it's Frodo's personal property. If he wants to keep it in the chest, then he has the right to do that."

Zeb groaned and leaned back, "Fine."

Ezra cleared his throat, trying to change the subject, "So, what's the plan?"

"We arranged to meet Mr. Nob at _the Ghost_ around noon," Rex replied, "He was gathering his tools and told us he'd meet us there with his cart."

Sabine had a sour look to her face when she heard that, "Does that mean that _all_ of us are gonna have to meet him?"

Hera frowned and shook us head, "I don't see why we all have to go. You, Kanan, and Ezra could stay here if you like. I mainly need Rex, Zeb, and Chopper for this one."

Both the astromech and the Lasat let out a groan, much to Ezra's amusement.

"Better get going, Captain Orrilious," the young Jedi said jokingly, punching the Lasat in the arm.

Zeb just growled at him before standing up and once again hitting his head against the ceiling.

"Karabast!" he sulked angrily, "I hate this ceiling!"

Hera ignored him and stood up along with Rex.

"Alright, we'll go ahead and make our way down there, in case this hobbit repairman arrives early," she said, making her way towards the door.

"Be careful," Kanan replied with a grin.

Hera smirked at him, "Don't I always?" She looked at everyone else. "Don't worry, we'll be back with _the Ghost_ in no time. I'm pretty sure the repairman knows what he is doing."

* * *

"What in the world is this?!" Nob Bolger exclaimed angrily.

The hobbit was standing in front of _the Ghost_ , accompanied by Hera, Zeb, Rex, and Chopper. At first sight of their ship, he had immediately become confused and furious. He walked alongside it several times, shaking his head. The three crew members  
exchanged confused glances, not sure what the problem was.

Nob turned towards Hera, red in the face. "I thought you told me yer ship was damaged! What's this piece of garbage?!"

Hera didn't seem to like the comment and placed her hands on her hips, "This 'garbage' _is_ my ship."

Nob's jaw dropped. He looked back at _the Ghost_ , then at Hera, then back at the ship again. He waddled up to it and jabbed his thumb at it.

"This thing is your ship?!" the hobbit exclaimed. " _This?!"_

 __

Rex rose a brow, completely confused, "What's the problem? You said you could fix it."

"When you lot said a ship, I thought you was meaning a boat!" Nob snapped, red in the face. He held up a large supply of wood, "I brought these to patch it up!"

They all gave the hobbit a stare of complete bewilderment. Had this world gone mad?! Boats were an old fashioned way of traveling. They should've known that they were talking about a _flying_ ship. This was honestly the first time Hera had ever been  
in a situation like this.

"So?" she asked, "Can'tyou still fix it?"

Nob stared at her, wide eyed, "Did ya drink too much ale last night? How in the world am I supposed to fix something that I've never seen before?! It's impossible, I tell ya! Just bloody impossible!"

Zeb growled angrily. Without warning, he snatched the hobbit off the ground and pinned him against the side of the ship. Nob stared at the Lasat, horrified to death. Hera was about to tell him to back off, but knew it was pointless when he was this angry.

"Listen, you little twirp!" Zeb snarled, "You assuredus that you could put her back together. And may I remind you that we paid you _credits_ to get it done! You don't want us to take em back, do you?"

Nob immediately shook his head and held up a finger, "That's you're problem, buddy. Because I ain't giving ya back yer shillings."

Zeb's scowl grew even more. "That's it!"

The Lasat made a fist, getting ready to punch the hobbit in the face. Nob closed his eyes shut in fear, but Hera immediately grabbed Zeb by the wrist.

"Stand down, Zeb!" she snapped, "It's not worth it."

He glanced at her in shock, "Hera, we can't just let him take our credits!"

Nob held up his hands, "Now now, there's no need to get mean! This is just how business works! Plus, I need the money. I got a wife and kids at home to feed."

Zeb frowned at him, then looked back at Hera. With a sigh, he dropped the hobbit. Nob immediately scurried over next to Rex, trying to keep as far away from the Lasat as possible.

The clone placed a hand on his forehead and sighed, "Look, can't you at least try to fix the ship?"

Hera gave Nob a pleading look, "It's our only way home."

Nob was about to make another retort, but paused when he saw the desperate look in all their faces. He sighed. They did pay him to do this job, so he might as well give it a try.

"I can't make any promises," he replied.

Hera nodded, "Thank you."

Little did the crew know that their luck was about to be much worse than they thought.

* * *

Kanan stared at the hologram of Hera in disbelief, "What do you mean he can't fix _the Ghost?!"_

 __

"I mean he literally can't fix it!" Hera replied angrily, "He doesn't have the parts! And I doubt he even knows what the parts are."

Ezra rose a confused brow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The Twi'lek pilot placed a hand on her forehead and shook her head furiously. Both the Jedi and Sabine could tell that she was not happy at all.

"I didn't want to say this before," Hera replied quietly, "But ever since we got to this world, I've seen a whole lot of things that were a bit...old fashioned. Carts, books, wood. Nobody in the galaxyuses these things anymore! Yet this particular  
world does, which means-"

Sabine's eyes went wide at the realization of what the Twi'lek was driving at, "They know nothing about technology!"

Kanan and Ezra shot each other a glance. Out of everything they had experienced yesterday, the last thing they wanted to hear was this.

Hera nodded sadly, "There are no speeders, no fighters, no fuel canisters, and absolutely no parts to fix _the Ghost_."

Kanan groaned, "Great. Just great."

"Well, couldn't we detach _the Phantom_ and try to contact any nearby ships?" Ezra asked.

Hera shook her head, "That won't do good either. I checked _the Phantom_ before we left. The engines werecompletely full of water."

This wasn't good at all. After everything that they had been through together, none of them had expected this. The whole entire room had fallen silent. Ezra leaned back against the wall, staring down at the floor.

Sabine sighed and leaned back as well, "So we're stranded... _again_."

Kanan placed a hand on his chin and looked down in thought. A frown was on his face as once again, he found himself unsure of what to do. Nobody knew what to do now. All this waiting had been for nothing.

How were they gonna get back to the rebelfleet without a ship?!


	8. Chapter 8

**Getting deeper into the story. :) Enjoy chapter 7, everybody. :)**

**Chapter 7: A Somewhat Merry Life in Hobbiton**

The crew of _the Ghost_ could not deny that they were in deep trouble. With their ship unable to be repaired, they were once again stuck on this little world. Neither Hera nor Kanan had the slightest idea of how they could get off the planet without  
/a ship. It was basically impossible.

They were quiet that night as they ate dinner in Bag End. Frodo was out running some errands so it was just the crew in the little hobbit hole. Each one of them had several thoughts running through their minds. Ezra, specifically, was wondering if he'd  
/ever see Lothal again. He had sworn to return one day and free his home from the clutches of the Empire, but how could he do that if he was stranded in the middle of nowhere? And worse, with no way to contact the rebellion?

Finally, Kanan was the one who broke the silence, "We'll just have hold outand see if Commander Sato and the fleet come looking for us."

Sabine gave him a questionable look, "Will that even do any good? This planet isn't even on any holo-maps, remember?"

Kanan shrugged and folded his arms over his chest, "I don't really see what else we can do. With _the Ghost_ stuck, we're going nowhere anytime soon."

"And even better," Zeb replied sarcastically, "we'll get to hang around with the locals more. That's the best part, if you ask me."

Sabine rolled her eyes, "Zeb, we _really_ don't need your sarcasm right now."

"What we need is patience," Kanan replied sternly, staring at both the Lasat and the Mandalorian, "I'm sure Frodo won't mind us sticking around for awhile. We'll have Chopper set a homing becon, and we'll just remain in the Shire until the fleet

arrives."

Hera glanced over at him once she heard that. A frown was on her face.

"Uh Kanan? Are we really sure that's the best idea?" she asked.

The Jedi shrugged, "Yeah, I believe so. What could go wrong?"

Hera rosea brow, "Oh I don't know. Maybe the Empire tracking us here instead of the fleet?"

Kanan frowned and looked down. He hadn't thought about that. None of them had any idea how far out in the Outer Rim they were. So they didn't even know if the rebel fleet was close or not. If the Empire came here instead of the rebels, Kanan knew that  
/the peaceful lives of these hobbits would be brought to an end instantly.

"Okay," he said with a sigh, "scratch the homing becon idea."

Rex had his hand on his chin, deep inthought, "Hmm. Well, knowing Commander Sato, he'll probably sweep every known system in the Outer Rim. And if we're lucky, they'll stumble upon this planet and we'll be rescued."

Kanan looked at him, "What're you suggesting?"

Rex leaned against the table, "I'm saying that we do nothing but just sit and wait. I've been in tougher spots before back in the Clone Wars."

Zeb smirked, "Yeah, but I doubt that you were stranded on a planet with no technology."

"Actually," Rex replied, "we were. During the first years of the war, I got stranded on the planet,Maridun,alongsideCommander Tano and General Secura. The colonists had no technology whatsoever, so we had to hold out until the Republic

sent a rescue party. This is no different."

"Except that Maridun is on the holo-maps, this planet is not," Sabine reminded everybody.

"Thank you, Miss Echo," Zeb retorted, "We heard that before."

Sabine glared at the Lasat but didn't argue, seeing that it was pointless.

Kanan looked over at Ezra and saw that he was simply staring out the small round window in the kitchen. It was sometimes hard for the Jedi to read his padawan. Ezra hadn't really been himself ever since they came to this world. Kanan had almost completely  
/forgotten about the mysterious dreamthat the younger Jedi had mentioned to him. Was that the reason why?He knew that he'd probably have to ask about that again sometime soon.

"Ezra," Kanan finally said, "you've been awfully quiet. What're your thoughts?"

Ezra glanced over at them and shrugged, "Well, I kinda agree with Rex on this. I mean, there's nothing we can really do at the moment since the ship won't fly. Plus, if the rebel fleet happened to show up and we weren't here, then there's a good chance  
/they'd not come back to this planet anytime soon."

Kanan exchanged glances with everybody else. They all had the same look in their eye. Honestly, this was probably their best, and only,option. And Kanan knew it was. After a long pause, the Jedi finally nodded in agreement, followed by the rest

of the crew.

Thus it was settled.

* * *

8 weeks had passed, and still no rebel ships had shown up.

Every morning, the crew of _the Ghost_ had looked up to the sky, expecting to see fighters from Phoenix Squadron flying by in search for them. Unfortunatly, every morning they were disappointed. Ezra was starting to believe that the rebellion would  
/never come for them.

However, despite the disappointment, the crew found life in the Shire to actually be quite enjoyable. Everybody, especially Rex and Kanan, had been so used to a life of fighting. It was rather nice to just sit back and relax. Everybody seemed to have  
/the exact same thought. They understood why the hobbits liked it here.

As a matter of fact, a majority of them had started to help out with the locals. Carts often rode into Hobbiton, carrying piles of a strange crop known as corn. They took it upon themselves to help some of the hobbit farmers unload the crop. In return,  
/although Kanan told them payment was unnecessary, the farmers offered them a couple ears of the plant to cook and eat.

They actually found the corn to be quite enjoyable, especially Zeb. Ezra stared at the Lasat in disbelief has he gulped down about seven ears in one dinner. Although, the young Jedi couldn't deny that he was very fond of the food too.

After 8 weeks of being with the locals, the hobbits had actually started to warm up to them. They no longer found Hera, Zeb, and Chopper to be strange (and frightening). What they loved the most was a good story, and that what a majority of the crew gave  
/them every night.

To the delight of Kanan, Rex, and Zeb, they discovered that Hobbiton had a pub, of sorts. The locals called it _The Green Dragon_ , and they couldn't deny that the ale there was amazing. Anyways, every night at the tavern, most of the crew, except  
/for Ezra and Sabine, told the hobbits some miraculous stories of their adventures. Although, they used the word 'countries' instead of 'planets.' None of them knew how the locals would react should they discover they came from space.

Ezra and Sabine didn't tell any stories because their memories were rather a bit painful.

Of course, none of the hobbits really believed that these stories were actually true. Despite the crew's strange attire, they didn't find them to be any different from the big folk that lived beyond the Shire. The thought of there being something called  
/a Clone Wars sounded preposterous to them. Nonetheless, they enjoyed listening. And the following day, they always talked about it with their neighbors.

It was during this time when the crew had gotten better acquainted with another hobbit. Kanan had recognized him from Bilbo's party. Frodo introduced the hobbit as Samwise Gamgee, who was a very close friend to him and also his gardener. They learned  
/that Sam was the son of a very old looking hobbit that many of the locals called the Old Gaffer.

Kanan was somewhat surprised to find that tge old hobbit was actually not that far from Bilbo's age. It had almost seemed like Bilbo had been younger than him.

Anyways, one night the entire _Ghost_ crew, along with Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin, had decided to go down to _the Green Dragon_ andenjoy a good drink and talk. However, some of that talk within the tavern turned to singing as Merry and  
/Pippin hopped on top of a nearby table, mugs of ale in their hands. Frodo sang along as the other hobbits cheered them on. The crew watched amusingly as they began to sing a rather curious song.

 _Hey, ho, to the bottle I go,_

 _To heal my heart and drown my woe!_

 _Rain may fall and wind may blow,_

 _But there still be many miles to go!_

 _Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,_

 _And the stream that falls from hill to plain!_

 _Better than rain or rippling brook,_

 _"Is a mug of beer inside this Took!"_ Pippin sang aloud to finish the song.

The whole tavern burst out laughing and clapping. Merry carefully lowered himself off the table, laughing and shaking his head. However, as Pippin attempted to follow, the hobbit suddenly slipped off the table and landed on top of Zeb, spilling ale all  
/over the Lasat.

Zeb immediately stood up from the table, startled by the sudden spill. Both Merry and Pippin's eyes went wide when the Lasat's startledexpression turned into an _angry_ expression. He looked at the two of them, growled angrily, and clenched

both of his fists. The hobbits immediately went pale and began slowly backing their way towards the tavern's exit.

"Pippin, look what you did!" Merry hissed.

Before his cousin could respond, Zeb popped his knuckles and charged at them. With that, Merry and Pippin ran out screaming.

"Come here you little miscreits!" Zeb shouted, chasing after them.

Kanan just rolled his eyes and continued drinking his mug of ale. He and Ezra were sitting with Sam at one of the tables within the tavern. With them were the Old Gaffer, another old hobbit, and a young hobbit. Neither Jedi had really gotten the other  
/two's names, considering they hadn't seen them around that much.

It was basically one of those rare nights when these two showed up at _the Green Dragon_ to talk about other worldly matters. Well, mainly to two old hobbits talked about it the most.

"There've been some strange folk about in the Shire," the old hobbit said with a shake of his head, "Dwarves and others of a less than savory nature."

The Old Gaffer nodded and shook his head with a frown, "War's brewin. The mountains are full of goblins."

"Far off tales and children's stories, that's all that is," the young hobbit responded with a passive wave, "You're beginning to sound like that old Bilbo Baggins. Cracked he was."

Ezra rose a confused brow, "Cracked? What do you mean cracked?"

Kanan shot him a warning look, "Ezra."

The hobbit scoffed, "Oh come now! Surely you don't believe all them tales about Bilbo and his 'adventures!'"

Ezra shrugged, "They sounded like they were real."

The hobbit laughed and shook his head, "Don't believe everything you here. It's all ridiculous, if you ask me. A mountain full of treasure, and guarded by a fire breathing dragon? It's a bunch of poppycock!"

Kanan and Ezra exchanged glances. The Jedi Knight had a confused look on his face.

"I honestly never heard of those stories," Kanan said with a shrug.

"Ha! Ya see?!" the hobbit snorted, "My point proven!"

Ezra glared at him, "You can't guarantee that those stories aren't true."

"And you can't guarantee that they are, either," the hobbit pointed out.

Ezra fell silent. He had to admit that he got him there. Despite this though, he knew that Bilbo's stories had to be true. With all the strange things in this world, he wouldn't be surprised to find these goblins, orcs, and trolls about.

The hobbit shook his head, smoking his pipe, "I'm telling ya, that Bilbo was cracked."

The Old Gaffer chuckled, "Well young Mr. Frodo here, he's cracking."

"And I'm proud of it!" Frodo replied, as he came up to the table and sat down.

He set down a tray full of mugs of ale. With a smile, he slid them across the table to their rightful owners.

"Cheers, Gaffer," Frodo said with a grin.

"Aye, cheers," the Gaffer replied as he eagerly drank his ale.

The hobbit continued his conversation after he got his ale, "Well it's none of our concern what goes on beyond our borders. Keep your nose out of trouble and no trouble will come to you."

Frodo nodded, although Ezra could tell that he didn't believe one word of it.

They stayed at the tavern for another hour before finally deciding to leave. The crew of _the Ghost_ exited first, followed by Sam and Frodo. However, Ezra and Kanan noticed Sam glance at the same female hobbit that they had seen from the party.  
Rosie,

they discovered her name was. The two Jedi exchanged glances and smirked.

However, one of the hobbits exiting the tavern, drunkingly knelt before her.

"Goodnight, sweet baby of the golden ale!" he shouted.

Sam glared back at him. "Oi, mind who you're sweet talking," he muttered.

Frodo smiled and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry, Sam. Rosie knows an idiot when she sees one."

Sam rose a hopeful brow, "Does she?"

Ezra smiled to himself when he heard that. He understood being jealous. He had been quite jealous when Lando Calrissian had been acting so smooth and sweet around Sabine a while back. Of course, he'd never tell anybody else that, except for Zeb.

Hera gazed around at the sky and smiled. The night was actually very beautiful.

"I don't know about you, but I could sure use a walk," she commented, looking at Kanan.

Kanan nodded, "I think that's an excellent idea." He looked over at the two hobbits, "Frodo, Sam?"

Frodo smiled and shook his head, "Thanks for the invitation, but I think I'll turn in for the night."

Sam nodded in agreement and yawned, "I think I'll do the same."

Kanan smiled and nodded understandingly, "Very well. We'll see you at Bag End, then."

Frodo nodded and waved them farewell as he and Sam made their way up the hill towards the hobbit residence. The rest of the crew, meanwhile, walked along the small lake next to the tavern. It wasn't too long before they saw Zeb walking towards them. The  
/Lasat was completely out of breath.

"Those two hobbits are so bloody fast," he panted, clutching his side.

The whole crew just smirked at him as they continued. Thisnice night was indeed worth enjoying.

* * *

Frodo said goodnight to Sam as he ascended up the stone stairs leading to Bag End. There was no denying that the young hobbit had his fill of ale for one night and was ready to sleep. However, once he came up to the round green door, he rose a confused  
/brow.

The door was slightly open. Frodo looked around to see if anybody had recently left, but the streets were clear. Cautiously, he walked inside to find the house completely dark. There were no lamps lit anywhere. Frodo slowly walked in, looking at both  
/hallways. He saw that the window in the living room was open as gusts of wind blew pieces of paper around.

This was rather strange. Frodo didn't recall leaving anything open before they left. He began to have a slight fear that there was somebody else in the house, hiding.

Suddenly, Frodo jumped in horror as he felt a hand all of a sudden grab him from behind. He twirled around and was surprised to see Gandalf standing there. The wizard's long grey hair was all messed up, looking like he had been in some sort of fight.

"Is it secret?!" Gandalf asked, "Is it safe?!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 8 is up! :)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 **Chapter 8: Dark Tidings in Bag End**

 ****

 ****

Ezra suddenly stopped in his tracks and looked behind him. The crew of _the Ghost_ had been walking for a good 45 minutes, enjoying the evening. Besides a couple of grumbles from Chopper, the night had been rather pleasant. Well, until Ezra suddenly  
felt something. Not physically. He felt a disturbance in the Force. Honestly, that was something the young Jedi thought he'd never feel on this planet.

He felt...fear. And it was coming from Bag End. Was Frodo in some sort of danger? Ezra couldn't tell, but he had suddenly become worried for his hobbit friend, and knew that he had to go investigate. Should he tell Kanan? No. He didn't think it necessary.  
There was no need to worry his friends. He'd just handle whatever this was alone.

As Ezra was turning towards the hobbit house, Kanan spotted him.

"Ezra," he said, stopping the padawan, "where are you going?"

Ezra turned around a pretended to yawn, "I'm kinda tired. I think I'll turn in for the night. See you guys back at Bag End."

Sabine rose a brow and smirked, "Waking up early's finally taken its effect on you, huh?"

Kanan frowned and looked at the Mandalorian. "Wait. Waking up early?"

Ezra shot her a glare. He hadn't told Kanan about not getting enough sleep because he didn't want him to suspect something was up.

Sabine shrugged, "For the past 8 weeks ever since we got here, I've seen him out and about early in the morning."

"Yeah, but it's nothing!" Ezra said quickly, he then tried to act like himself, "I just haven't felt like sleeping, that's all."

Kanan gave him one of his suspicious stares. He could always tell when his apprentice was lying. But Ezra had no time for a talk. He could feel Frodo (or whoever it was) getting more confused and stressed. He needed to get up there and see what was going  
on.

Kanan folded his arms across his chest and rose a brow, "Ezra? What's going on?"

Zeb seemed as suspicious, "Yeah, you usually don't getup early." He rethought his words and smirked. "Come to think of it, you _never_ get up early."

Ezra rolled his eyes, trying to act annoyed, "It's nothing I promise. Sabine's right, the tiredness is just catching up to me. I just need to get some sleep." He began walking off and waved at them. "I'll see you guys at Bag End."

All of the crew watched him leave and then shot each other a look. They didn't believe Ezra's explanation one bit. And he seemed like he was in a bit of a hurry.

Meanwhile, Ezra was quietly running across the grass of Hobbiton. Fortunately, hobbits were heavy sleepers and never woke up to small noises. Ezra had to admit that it felt good to have the wind blow against his face as he was running. Good thing it was  
a cool night.

Anyways, it wasn't long before Ezra could see Bag End up ahead. There were lights on, but they were very dimly lit. That usually meant the fireplace was lit. Frodo always had the fireplace lit whenever the hobbit hole wasn't too bright. Ezra could also  
see the large round window open. He could hear voices coming from inside so it was rather fortunate for the window to be open.

Ezra crept up to the side of the house, making sure that whoever was in the house couldn't see him. Then, he fell still, listening. He could make out Frodo's voice and...Gandalf's? When had the wizard gotten back?! He couldn't quite make out what they  
were saying. They were speaking in a rather quiet whisper.

However, Ezra could tell that the wizard seemed startled. He rose a brow. What had happened?

Suddenly, he heard Frodo yell, "What're you doing?!"

Ezra wanted to take a peek and see what was happening, but part of him was afraid that he'd find Gandalf staring straight at him with those creepy eyes. And he honestly didn't want to see that tonight. Everything had fallen silent for a couple minutes.  
All Ezra could hear was the crackling fire in the house.

Finally, Gandalf spoke aloud, "Hold out your hand, Frodo." There was a smallpause before the wizard said assuringly, "It's quite cool."

Ezra rose a confused brow. What were they talking about?

"What can you see?" he heard Gandalf ask, "Can you see anything?"

See what? What were they looking at? Suddenly, a thought came to Ezra's mind. Had Frodo...opened whatever was in that envelope? Was that what they were looking at? Now he really wished he could see through the window.

"Nothing," Frodo replied, confused. "There's nothing."

Ezra heard Gandalf let out a sigh of relief. For some reason, he felt relieved too, although he didn't know what the heck was going on.

"Wait," Frodo suddenly exclaimed, "There are markings. It's some sort of Elvish. I can't read it."

That was rather surprising to Ezra. The hobbit had been able to translate tohim every Elvish wordin Bilbo's study. For him to read something Elvish that he actually couldn't read was quite interesting.

"There are few who can," Gandalf replied, deep fear and dread in his voice. "The language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here."

Ezra frowned. Mordor? What was that? He had never heard Frodo mention anything about that before.

"Mordor?" he heard Frodo ask alarmed.

"In the common tongue," Gandalf explained, "it says: _One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all. And in the darkness bind them_."

"What're you doing?" a sudden voice asked from behind Ezra's back.

The young Jedi twirled around, startled, but immediately exhaled when he saw that it was only Sam. The hobbit looked like he had been trimming the lawn around Bag End.

"Sam!" Ezra exclaimed in a whisper, "you scared the living daylights out of me!"

"Sorry, Mr. Ezra," the hobbit replied apologetically. He then rose a brow, "What're you doing by the window? Are you eavesdropping?"

"No!" Ezra replied defensively. But then he thought it best to be honest with the hobbit, "Okay, maybe a little."

Sam nodded and frowned. "I thought so."

However, unexpectedly the hobbit crept up to the window as well. Apparently he, like Ezra, was curious about what was going on. And he always loved a good secret. Ezra just smirked and shook his head. He heard Frodo and Gandalf walking into another room.  
Fortunately for them though, the hobbit hole had an echo so they could hear everything they were saying.

As Ezra listened, he found things to have become far more interesting than he thought. 

* * *

"This is the One Ring," Gandalf said, staring down at a small goldenround object on the kitchen table, "Forged by the Dark Lord, Sauron, in the fires of Mount Doom. Taken by Isildor from the hand of Sauron himself."

Frodo had poured both of them a hot cup of tea and had sat down, listening to everything the wizard was telling him.

"Bilbo found it," the hobbit exclaimed, "in Gollum's cave."

Gandalf nodded, "Yes. For 60 years, the ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping. Prolonging his life, delaying old age."

Frodo's eyes went wide with shock. Delaying old age?! That was how his uncle had lived for so long?! It had been all because of this little ring?! After all these years, Frodo had believedthat Bilbo lived to be 111 years oldout of pure luck.

Gandalf looked straight at him and frowned, "But no longer, Frodo. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The ring has awoken. It's heard its master's call."

Frodo shook his head, not quite believing it. Gandalf had told him the whole story about Sauron and the Battle of the Last Alliance. Surely this didn't mean-

"But he was destroyed," Frodo replied. "Sauron was destroyed."

All of a sudden, Frodo thought he heard a dark and menacing chant whisper across the room. He looked around to see where that had come from. However, there was a sudden fear in his heart that told him that he knew exactly where it had come from. He stared  
down at the ring, pale in the face. Gandalf no doubt ahead heard it too, for he was staring at it just as startled.

The truth had finally sank into Frodo's heart. Although, he didn't want to admit it. The wizard was the one to say it aloud though, and it made the hobbit wish he was elsewhere.

"No, Frodo," Gandalf replied, a stern look in his eye, "The spirit of Sauron endured. His life force is bound to the ring, and the ring survived. Sauron has returned. His orcs have multiplied. His fortress of Barad-Duris rebuilt in the Land of Mordor.  
Sauron needs only this ring to cover all the lands in a second darkness."

Frodo stared at the wizard, horrified. This couldn't be happening. He couldn't be alive. And how could such a small thing hurt the lives of so many in Middle Earth? He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that his old friend was telling the truth.

"He's seeking it," Gandalf said with a frown, "Seeking it. And all his thought is bent to it. The ring yearns of all else to return to the hand of its master. They are one: The ring and the Dark Lord." He placed a hand on Frodo's shoulder so the hobbit  
was staring straight into his eyes. "Frodo, he must _never_ find it."

After the wizard finished saying that, Frodo slowly nodded. He looked down in thought, and immediately stood up, grabbing the ring in his hand. He walked back into the living room, looking around.

"Alright," Frodo said confidently, "we put it away. We keep it hidden. We never speak of it again. No one knows it's here, do they?"

Gandalf stood next to the fireplace. He didn't respond. A deep worried look was on his face and he simply looked at Frodo, not sure if he wanted to tell him the truth or not. He never wanted any of this to happen to the poor hobbit.

Frodo turned towards him, now looking worried as well, "Do they, Gandalf?"

Gandalf sighed, "There is one other who knew that Bilbo had the ring. I looked everywhere for the creature, Gollum, but the enemy found him first. I don't know how long they tortured him, but amidst the endless screams and babbling, they were told two  
words:'Shire. Baggins.'"

Frodo could feel himself shaking. No. It couldn't be.

"Shire?! Baggins?! But that would lead them here!" the hobbit exclaimed in horror.

Gandalf nodded, a sad look on his face.

Suddenly, Frodo took the ring and held it up to the wizard. "Take it, Gandalf!"

Gandalf immediately backed away, "No Frodo."

"You must take it!" Frodo pleaded.

Gandalf shook his head, completely afraid. "You cannot offer me this ring."

"I'm giving it to you!" Frodo replied. He was completely scared out of his mind.

"Don't tempt me, Frodo!" Gandalf snapped. "I dare not take it! Not even to keep it safe!"

Frodo stared at his friend in disbelief. What was he supposed to do?! If the enemy knew that the ring was here in the Shire, they'd be coming straight for him! He was scared to death. He didn't know what he could do.

Gandalf gave him a sympathetic look, "Understand Frodo, I would use this ring from a desire to do good. But through me, it would weild a power to great and terrible to imagine."

"But it cannot stay in the Shire!" Frodo replied.

"No," Gandalf replied, shaking his head in agreement, "No it can't."

It was at that moment, that the answer finally dawned on Frodo. He understood that Gandalf couldn't take it, or he'd fall under the ring's power. He was the one holding it in his hand. He, just like his uncle, had developed a strong passion for this little  
thing. Frodo didn't know why, but it had caught his eye far too many times these past 8 weeks. He knew what had to happen. He wrapped his hand around the ring and held it tightly.

Finally, Frodo asked, "What must I do?" 

* * *

Ezra had heard many creepy things in his time, but this had to be the worst. This peaceful little world definitely had a dark side to it. And it was supposedly coming here! He knew nothing about this 'Dark Lord' named Sauron, but from what he had just  
heard, this guy was not to be underestimated. He sounded even worse than the Empire.

Ezra felt for poor Frodo. And the fact that the hobbit would have to leave his peaceful little home was something he didn't wish had to happen. But Gandalf recommended it. Even Sam seemed a bit heartbroken that his close friend was leaving. The hobbit  
leaned against the side of the house, deep in thought.

Ezra knew he'd have to inform Kanan about this. If there was a deadly dark force heading towards the Shire, they needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

What got Ezra the most was that all of this was over some little piece of jewelry. He had not seen this 'One Ring' with his own eyes, but for something that small to be so dangerous seemed almost impossible. However, Ezra knew that Gandalf was no liar.  
Somehow, someway, this thing and Sauron were connected.

Ezra listened as he heard Frodo running around the whole hobbit hole, packing his things. He could sense that even though he wanted to get out of there, he didn't want to really leave Bag End. Ezra couldn't blame him, considering that this home was so  
cozy.

"You must leave, and leave quickly," Gandalf said.

"Where?" Frodo asked, "Where do I go?"

"Get out of the Shire," replied Gandalf, "Make for the village of Bree."

Bree. That was a curious name. Well, Ezra had to remember that he wasn't familiar with this world, despite being trapped here for weeks. The only place he had ever known here was Hobbiton.

"Bree," he heard Frodo repeat, "What about you?"

"I'll be waiting for you," Gandalf answered, "atthe Inn of _The Prancing Pony._ "

"And the ring will be safe there?" the hobbit asked.

"I don't know, Frodo," the wizard replied, unsure, "I don't have any answers. I must see the head of my order. He is both wise and powerful. Trust me Frodo, he'll know what to do."

That was interesting to Ezra. Gandalf actually answered to someone? He always thought the old man only answered to himself. The young Jedi kind ofwondered if he'd ever meet this 'head' sometime.

"You'll have to leave the name of Baggins behind you. For that name is not safe outside the Shire," Gandalf explained, "Travel only by day, and stay off the road."

"I can cut across countries, Gandalf," Frodo assured.

There was another brief pause before Ezra heard Gandalf chuckle.

"My dear Frodo, hobbits really are amazing creatures," he said, "You can learn all there is to know about their ways within months, and yet after 100 years, they can still surprise you."

Ezra grinned at hearing that. However, what he failed to notice was that he was moving his foot against a nearby branch. Without warning, the young Jedi suddenly slid and slammed his body against the bushes. Sam's eyes went wide and he went completely  
still.

Ezra went still too, and became a bit afraid. The house had fallen completely silent. Neither the Jedi nor the hobbit heard Frodo or Gandalf talking at all. Ezra held hisbreath, and he pressed himself against the house more as if he wanted to melt  
into it. Had they been heard?

His question was immediately answered when suddenly a big stick appeared out of nowhere and wacked Sam on the head. The hobbit made a loud "Omph!" and immediately, Ezra felt a strong hand grab him by the shirt and pull him through the window.

Both he and Sam were pressed against the table, and staring straight up at the scowling face of Gandalf.

"Confound it all, Samwise Gamgee and Ezra Bridger!" the wizard shouted in anger, "Have you been eavesdropping?!"

Sam immediately shook his head in fear, "I haven'tbeen dropping no eaves, sir. Honest. I was just cutting the grass under the window there, if you follow me."

"And I was just out for a walk throughHobbiton," Ezraadded, attempting to defend himself.

"And yet you two just so happened to be under the window at the same time?!" Gandalf asked, not believing a single word they were saying. "A little late to be out and about, don't you think?"

Sam shrugged, not sure what exactly it say, "We heard raised voices."

"And what did you hear?!" Gandalf demanded, "Speak!"

Just then, one of the doors to the living room suddenly burst open and the crew of _the Ghost_ walked in. All their blasters were out and were pointed straight at Gandalf. The wizard turned his head to face them, but didn't let go of Sam and Ezra.  
Frodo's eyes went wide with shock at seeing the strange weapons they were holding.

"Hands off the kid!" Zeb commanded, pointing his bo-rifle straight at the wizard's head.

Gandalf didn't look threatened at all and just rolled his eyes.

"There's no need for such a show," he replied, "Put those down!"

"Fine," Hera nodded, glaring at him, "we'll put our weapons down. _After_ you let go of Ezra and Sam."

The wizard made no move to do so, and still held the two in a tight grip. Ezra didn't realize that for such an old guy, he was very strong.

Sam spoke up, "And to answer your question, Mr. Gandalf, I heard nothing important. That his I heard a great deal about a ring and a dark lord and something about the end of the world."

Gandalf rose a brow at him and then looked at Ezra.

"I heard the exact same thing," the padawan replied honestly.

"We all did," Kanan said with a nod, "We heard everything." The Jedi had a simple blaster out. He had not thought it wise to reveal his lightsaber. Not yet anyways.

Gandalf stared at all of them, seeming a bit annoyed at having many eavesdroppers. Zeb, Rex, and Sabine readies their guns to open fire, in case he made some sort of move. However, after a long pause, Gandalf let out a soft sigh and real eased his grip  
on the two.

Both Ezra and Sam scurried over to the others. The young Jedi had never felt so embarrassed in his life. He had tried to break himself free, but the wizard had had him at such a tight grip, that he couldn't have moved at all, not even to reach for his  
lightsaber.

With that, the whole crew lowered their weapons.

Gandalf frowned, "So, now I have to decide what to do with all of you eavesdroppers!"

Ezra immediately spoke up, "We want to help Frodo!"

Zeb rose a confused brow and glanced at Hera, "Uh, we do?"

"Yes!" Ezra answered before the Twi'lek could, "We'll get him and the ring to Bree."

Kanan walked to his apprentice and twirled him around to face him.

"Ezra, we can't" he whispered.

"Why not?!" Ezra demanded.

"You know why!" Kanan answered, "We've got to wait here until the rebel fleet has arrived. As much as I care for Frodo and these hobbits, we can't interfere with their problems!"

Ezra groaned and pointed out the window, "Kanan, we've been here for 8 weeks! Nobody's coming to get us! And plus, isn't this what we do? What we've done for the people of Lothal? We help those in need, and right now, Frodo needs our help more than anyone  
else."

Kanan didn't know how to respond. He looked over at Hera. To his surprise, he found that she nodded, agreeing with Ezra. He looked at everybody else, and they too nodded. Even though they had been stranded for 8 weeks in the middle of nowhere, they had  
honestly grown very fond of the hobbits. What would become of them if this 'evil' took over the world?

Kanan sighed, "You're right, Ezra." He then turned to Gandalf, "We'll do it."

Gandalf rose a brow, looking at all of them, and then finally at Frodo. Immediately, a smile came to the wizard's face.

"Good," he said with a chuckle, "Yes, very good."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 9, everyone. :) Enjoy. :) And as usual, I ask you to please ignore any mispelled words.**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 **Chapter 9: Leaving Comfort, Entering the Unknown**

 ****

 ****

The more Kanan Jarrus stayed on this planet, the more decisions he madethat he knew he'd regret later. And the decision to leave the Shire and get Frodo to this Bree was one of the choiceshe regretted. Don't get him wrong, he was very fond  
of the hobbit. However, the Jedi Knight feared that he was getting his crew and himself into more trouble. They were dealing with something that they didn't truly understand.

However, there was another side of Kanan that was telling him he had made the right decision. During his years in the Jedi Temple, he had been a coward. A coward that had the nerve to leave his master to die with the rest of the Order.A coward that  
wouldn't defend himself against a squadron of clone troopers as they killed everybody around him. Kanan closed his eyes and clenched his fist. No more.

He had made the right choice. Helping Frodo was the correct path. No more running. No more cowering. It was the right course of action. Despite this not being their own problem, Kanan knew that if they let the hobbit go alone, there was a possiblechance  
that he wouldn't make it to Bree alive. They had to do this.

A majority of _the Ghost_ crew had turned in for the night, along with Frodo and Sam. Gandalf had advised them to rest up, because they were to leave at the crack of dawn. Kanan, however, decided to stay up for a bit and check to see if they had all  
they needed for the journey. Some of the crew were a bit disappointed that it'd basically be their last night in the comfort of Bag End.

After a full inspection of the supplies, Kanan decided that they might have to make a quick stop by the ship to grab some more things that they needed. Fortunately, they'd have to travel to Bree down that same direction. Kanan knew that Hera wasn't fond  
of the idea of leaving her ship in the Shire, but sadly, they had no choice.

He finally stood up, and suddenly jumped when he saw Gandalf standing at the doorway, looking at him. He hated it when he did that!

Gandalf smiled and chuckled, "Forgive me, Kanan Jarrus. I didn't mean to startle you."

Kanan nodded, calming down, "It's-It's fine."

The wizard sat himself down in a seat by the fireplace. He then took out from his cloak a long brown pipe and began to smoke it. Kanan just sat across from him and watched as some rather large smoke rings hit against the ceiling.

What was interesting though was that the smoke didn't smell so bad like the other ones he had smelled before. This had an aroma to it that actually made it kind of addicting. Kanan almost wanted to try it out, but decided not to be a bother and just watched.  
Gandalf noticed and simply smiled.

"Old Toby," he explained, "It's actually considered the finest weed in the South Farthing."

Kanan nodded, "I've seen it before. A lot of the local hobbits here tend to smoke it a lot almost everyday."

Gandalf chuckled, "Indeed. Hobbits always tend to have a deep interest in the smoking of pipe weed, as well as the brewing of ale." He accidentally inhaled too much smoke and coughed.

Kanan smirked and leaned back in his chair. "I can definitely understand why they love the ale."

Gandalf nodded, chuckling again. He then blew a couple more smoke rings, some that were very small, and others that were almost as big as the fireplace itself. Kanan wondered how he did that, but then reminded himself that he was looking at a wizard here.  
And wizards always tended to be mysterious in everything they did.

Finally, after a good long smoke, Gandalf put away the pipe and eyed Kanan curiously.

"You seem to have a very protective crew, my friend," he said with a smirk, "I was honestly surprised at how fearless and defensive they were, especially at me."

"Yeah," Kanan replied, scratching his head nervously, "Sorry about that."

Gandalf smiled and shook his head, "Don't be. Honestly, their fearlessness is actually what Frodo might needon this journey."

Kanan nodded, although he immediately looked down, not wanting the old man to see the look on his face. Unfortunatly, Gandalf seemed to be really good at seeing things, so it was useless for the Jedi to hide his feelings.

The wizard frowned, "You don't think it wise for you and your friends to go."

Kanan shrugged, "No offense,Gandalf, but we've been through quite a lot."

Gandalf nodded understandingly. "Of course, my friend. It is quite understandable why you do not wish to leave the Shire." He then gave Kanan a hard stare, "However, even had your apprentice not volunteered to help Frodo in his task, you'd have hadto  
go with him anyways."

Kanan rose a brow, confused by the wizard's words, "What do you mean?"

Gandalf stood up from his chair and began to pace, putting his hands behind his back.

"Sauron is a far more dangerous foe than you may realize," he explained, "Should hediscover that a Baggins lived here, he'd send his forces to wipe out whoever was in the residence. Imagine what a surprise he'd have if he discovered strangers from _another world._ "

Kanan's head immediately shot up at that. His eyes had gone wide as he lookedat the old man. Gandalf had both his brows raised and stared straight at him. He had a look in his eyes that indicated that he had known all along about who they were and  
where they had come from.

Kanan didn't know how to react.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about, sir," he stuttered, doing a horrible job at lying.

Gandalf smirked and crossed his arms, "I am no fool, Kanan Jarrus. I know perfectly well that you and your crew came from beyond the stars." He pointed at Kanan'scloths, "I've walked through Middle Earth for more than a hundred years, and I've never  
seen beings dressed in such an odd attire. Nor have I ever come across any species called (what was it?) Twi'leks or Lasats or droids." He chuckled, "I'm sure this old mind would remember such names."

Kanan was speechless. He didn't realize it, but his mouth was hanging open. This wizard was smarter than he had thought. When he had first met him, he knew that Gandalf seemed to be good at reading minds, but he didn't realize he was this good. He didn't  
know how to respond. If Gandalf knew that they came from another planet, how much else did he know?

However, Kanan knew that he couldn't lie to the wizard. The truth had to be let out eventually. And considering that the old man was a very trustworthy person, the Jedi saw no problem telling him everything. He was sure Gandalf could keep a secret.

Kanan sighed, "Well, you're right. We're not from here." He then pointed to the symbol on his shoulder plate. "Me and my crew work for a group called Phoenix Squardron, a small rebel force built to overthrow a cruel and corruptgovernment called  
the Galactic Empire."

Gandalf looked down at the floor in thought, "Hmm, I've never heard of such names before."

"That's actually kind of a surprise," Kanan replied with a frown, "We've been to several planets and each one of them at least know the tyranny of the Empire."

Gandalf rose a curious brow, "So there are other worlds beyond Middle Earth?!"

"Yes," Kanan nodded, "More than I can count."

He then told Gandalf everything. He told him of the legendary Jedi Order and his past as a padawan learner. He told him how the Republic's leader, Chancellor Palpatine, had secretly been a Sith Lord who managed to turn the Clone Army against the Jedi,  
making them all go extinct. He also explained of how the Republic changed into the Empire and put the galaxy intofear and dread.

Kanan then went on and told him of how Hera had found him and convinced him to join a cause: To overthrow the Empire and restore theRepublic. Although, he did not realize how big the cause was until he had been captured by the Imperialsand  
rescued by Hera and Phoenix Squadron.

Gandalf was very interested in everything that the Jedi described, but remained silent throughout the whole story. He had never heard of soldiers called Stormtroopers, or Sith Lords, or even Jedi. However, given how he had travelled through Middle Earth  
for many years and had seen many strange things, he was not surprised to find that something like this actually existed.

Finally, once the Jedi finished, Gandalf spoke with deep concern in his voice. "Tell me, Kanan. This 'Empire' you speak of. Do you think they'll come here?"

Kanan looked down for a second before he shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I doubt it. This planet isn't even on the 've been waiting for 8 weeks, hoping the rebel fleet would arrive here, but no one's shown up. I don't think the Empire  
would have any better luck."

Gandalf nodded, looking a little bit relieved, "Let us hope it stays that way. The last thing Middle Earth needs right now is another dark force against them." He then frowned, "I fear of what Sauron will send to retrieve the ring. He has many beings  
at his disposal: Orcs, trolls, and _worse_."

Kanan didn't like the sound of that. They might not have the Empire to worry about right now, but they most definitely had Sauron to worry about. And he was not very fond of hearing that this dark lord might have something 'worse' that could track poor  
Frodo.

He decided to ask the question. "Gandalf, what if it is the worst?"

Gandalf looked at him. A shadowseemed to havefallen across the room, and it made Kanan slightly shiver.

"Then I fear that you all will be in fargreater danger," Gandalf replied.

Kanan was afraid he'd say that. However, that hadn'tstopped him before. Despite not wanting to be a part of this trip, he swore that he'd protect Frodo and his crew at all cost.

Kanan all of a sudden stood up, grabbed his lightsaber, held it out in front of him, and pressed the button. Instantly, the bright blue laser blade shot out, casting a blue glowacross the room. Gandalf's eyes had gone wide in complete bewilderment.  
He had never seen such a remarkable weapon before in all his life.

"Not if I can help it," Kanan promised the wizard. 

* * *

It was at dawn when they set out. A couple members of the crew, specifically Zeb, didn't want to get up. It took an electric zap from Chopper to wake him up, much to the Lasat's aggravation. Frodo had already had his things ready and within a few minutes,  
he was setto go. Thanks to Kanan packing everything during the night, the crew of _the Ghost_ didn't have to worry about rushing to get ready.

Sabine made sure to attach all her valuable items, specifically her paints and twin blasters, to her belt. There was no way in the whole galaxy that the Mandalorian was going to leave those in any backpacks. She didn't really trust people with her things,  
especially Zeb and Ezra.

Rex, on the other hand, was more than ready to go. He loved the peace and quite of the Shire, but the clone veteran missed action. And judging by the fact that this dark lord person was sending forces to retrieve this mysterious ring, Rex figured that  
he'd get to deal with tons of action. If there was one thing that a clone was good at, it was combat.

Everybody else was a bit depressed about having to leave. For the past 8 weeks, Bag End had basically been their home away from home. Ezra hoped that somehow someway, they'd be able to see the little hobbit hole again once all of this was over. When would  
it end? The padawan had no idea.

Sam was also accompanying Frodo and the crew. Gandalf had suggested that the hobbit could help out in the journey,especially since he had eavesdropped last night. However, unbeknownst to everybody else, he had pulled Sam aside and told him a couple  
things.

After that, they set off. Gandalf was leading the way into the forest, pulling a horse along with him. He explained that he needed to make a trip somewhere toask for help with the ring. He assured them, though, that he'd meet them in Bree.

Sam was at the rear of the group, making sure that none of the items he brought in his pack were falling out. He just brought some basic stuff. Like pots, pans, silverware, etc.

Gandalf glanced back at the hobbit. "Come along, Samwise. Keep up."

Sam quickened his pace, but was still falling behind. Sabine glanced back at him sympathetically. She stopped and waited for him to catch up.

"Need some help?" the Mandalorian asked.

Sam shook his head. "No thank you, Ms. Sabine. I can carry it all."

He was about to walk on, but she held up a hand for him to wait. Without another word, she removed two of the five bags attached to his backpack and swung them across her shoulder.

"Nonsense," Sabine smirked, "I can pull my weight too."

Sam wanted to argue, but deep down, he was actually very greatful. So he just smiled at her and they ran to catch up with the others.

The sun was officially up once they were deep in the forest. They finally came to the point where Gandalf would have to go his own seperate way.

"Be careful, all of you," the wizard told them, "The enemy has many spies in his service: Birds, beasts."

Zeb chuckled and gave a passive wave with his hand. "Oh,thatshouldn't be a problem. If I see any, I'll just shoot them on sight," he said, patting his bo-rifle.

Gandalf frowned at the Lasat, "Don't underestimate the enemy, captain. Sauron isa formidable foe. You will find soon, if not later, that your weapons will not _always_ be a match for the minions of Mordor."

Zeb fell silent to that. Ezra smirked and patted him on the shoulder.

Gandalf looked at Kanan, "You said you had to stop by your ship?"

Kanan nodded, "There're a couple things that we need to get from _the Ghost_ before we head down toBree. It won't take real long."

Gandalf nodded. "Just be sure to make haste, my friend. I do not know if the enemy is in the Shire yet, but if they are, you'll need to get out of here as fast as you can."

Kanan nodded, understanding.

Gandalf then looked at Frodo. "Is it safe?"

Frodo nodded, placing a hand on his front coat pocket. None of the crew had actually gotten to see the ring, but the wizard had thought it for the best. He told them that as soon as they saw it, they'd immediately develop a deep desire for it. Said desire  
was already in Frodo's heart, but the hobbit knew that he had to get rid of it.

Gandalf knelt down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Never put it on. For the agents of the Dark Lord will be drawn to its power." He then whispered to Frodo, "Always remember, Frodo, the ring is trying to get back to its master. It _wants_ to be  
found."

With that, Gandalf hopped onto his horse and rode off till he was out of sight. Everybody jumped when they suddenly heard crows take off from the trees. However, they sighed with relief, assuring themselvesthat they were just normal birds.

Hera spoke up, "Alright everyone, let's get to _the Ghost._ If we need to get to this Bree as soon as possible, then we need to get what we need from the ship and then get going. We got a long journey ahead of us."

The Twi'lek then took the lead. Everybody else exchanged quick glances before following. Frodo and Sam were actually quite curious to see what their ship looked like. Gandalf, of course, had told them the truth about the crew. The hobbits couldn't deny  
that it was a lot to take in, but despite this, they trusted them. They had known them for 8 weeks, and they seemed no different than any other being in Middle Earth.

They traveled for an hour into the forest. Frodo recommended that they stay off the road, so Rex used his comlink to find the location of the ship. Before they knew it, the crew came out of the trees into an open area. Straight ahead was _the Ghost._ Frodo  
and Sam's eyes went wide in shock at the sight of it.

Hera lowered the ship's ramp, and then she, Sabine, Zeb, Kanan, and Rex went inside. Ezra and Chopper stayed outside with the two hobbits. Sam ran his hand against the side of the ship in awe. It felt so cold, almost like steel. The only thing made of  
steel that the hobbits had seen were swords. But a whole ship made out of metal was something extraordinary.

Ezra watched them amusingly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"My Old Gaffer would never believe me if I told him about this," Sam exclaimed, "I've never seen anything like this before!"

Frodo felt the shipas well before looking at Ezra, "How does this ship sail?!"

Ezra burst out laughing at that and shook his head, "Oh it doesn't sail. It flies."

Sam's eyes went even wider, "Flies?! As in, flieslike a bird?!"

Ezra shrugged and nodded, "Yeah, basically. Believe me guys, where we come from, there are a ton more." He pointed up at the sky, "Usually, you'd find even bigger ships called Star Destroyers flying about. However, if you see one of those, then it's not  
really your lucky day."

Frodo rose a curious brow, "Why's that?"

"Because they're Imperial. And if you ever come across the likes of the Empire, it's _never_ your lucky day," Ezra replied.

Sam frowned at that, "You know, these 'Empire' people don't really sound that great."

Ezra smirked and shook his head, "You have _no_ idea."

After 10 minutes of waiting, the rest of the crew descended from _the Ghost._ Zeb and Rex werecarryingbackpacks full of malurun fruits and had grabbed a sniper rifle, which sheswung around her shoulder. Sabine  
had grabbed more paint cans, which Ezra had no idea what they'd need them Kanan had just grabbed his Jedi Holocron.

Ezra rose a brow at that. Why was he bringing the Holocron? Of course, he knew Kanan would never tell him unless it was really important.

Hera then closed the ramp up again. As it finally sealed itself shut, the Twi'lek just stared at her ship,not saying a word. She once again found herself saying goodbye to it. This time, she had no idea how long it'd be. She had never left _the Ghost_ somewhere  
for this long before, and it honestly kind of bugged her. Hera traced her hand along the edge, as if it'd be the last time she'd ever see her ship.

Kanan walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, we should get started."

Hera slowly nodded. She ran her hand against the ship once more before turning away.

Before she had gotten very far, she glared at Kanan, "And _you_ said we'd be right back." She then walked off to join the others.

Kanan just watched her and then shook his head. For some reason, he always tended to make promises that he couldn't keep. This was one of them. 

* * *

Thus the journey out of Hobbiton officially began. Frodo, knowing the way to Bree, led the way. Sam and the rest of _the Ghost_ crew followed behind. According to Rex's comlink, the village of Bree would be a 5 days journey, much to the disappointment  
of everyone. They were fortunate to have enough food for those days.

However, as they continued on, many of them forgot their complaints and found themselves once again becoming fascinated with the world. They all immediatelylearned that the Shire was only a small part of a much larger world. Frodo led them out of  
the forest and over some rather coollooking streams. Ezra kind of wished they could stop just to have a taste of the , the hobbit wanted to press on, under fear ofthe enemy being in the Shire.

They then came upon a great open plain. They could see both trees and much larger hills all around them. Ezra even thought he could see mountains in the distance, which looked really amazing. The more they gazed at the scenery, the less tired _the Ghost_ crew  
became, even as hours went by. To them, it seemed shorter than that. Probably because they were enjoying themselves.

They didn't really see anybody. Only a couple farmer hobbits driving their carts to somewhere opposite of where they were going. Zeb kind of wished he could steal a piece of their corn to eat, but sadly thought against it.

It was a big help that it wasn't so hot outside. There was a cool breeze blowing across the land, and they all enjoyed it blowing against their faces. Even Chopper didn't do much complaining, which was kind of shocking.

It was soon late afternoon, and the group soon came to a corn field. Unfortunatly, there was nothing on the plants because they were still growing, much to the disappointment of Zeb. They were a bit tired, but knew that they could still walk on for at  
least a couple more hours.

Just then, Sam suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Sabine looked back at him, a concerned look on her face. "Sam? You okay?"

Everybody else stopped and looked back at them.

"This is it," Sam exclaimed.

Frodo tilted his head, "This is what?"

Sam leaned against his walking stick, "If I take one more step, it'll be the farthest away from home I've ever been."

Ezra shot a look of sympathy towards the hobbit. They had been traveling for only a day, and he was already homesick. The Jedi felt sorry for him. From what he had heard about hobbits, not all of them were fond of going off on some long journey.

Frodo walked up to his friend and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Sam."

Sam looked at all of them, and then he slowly began to walk again. Sabine patted him on the shoulder and smiled at him. Then, the Mandalorian took the backpack from the hobbit's back and threw it towards Zeb and Ezra. Both the Jedi and the Lasat glared  
at her before they eachcarried a bag.

Sam looked a bit relieved for not having any weight on his back.

Frodo smiledand wrapped his arm around him. "Remember what Bilbo used to say, 'It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.'" 


	11. Chapter 11

**I've really been looking foreword to this chapter, and for youguysto read it. :) Enjoy chapter 10. :)**

**Chapter 10: Betrayal in Isengard**

The group thought they'd never stop walking, but it finally happened. Even Frodo was weary from such a long travel. They were all just ready for a good supper and a good rest.

They were in another forest that was a tad bit larger than the one _the Ghost_ crew found in Hobbiton. They found a nice large tree where they could make camp for the night. Rex helped Sam get a fire going, while the others placed down all their  
things

and sat down on the grass.

Frodo took out a pipe and smoked it, leaning back against the tree. As soon as the fire was nice and hot, Sam started taking out pots, pans, and food. Zeb and Ezra were very happy to find that the hobbit brought sausages. Hera, not seeing much else to  
/do, volunteered to help Sam with the cooking.

Everybody else just leaned themselves against the tree and closed their eyes. The day's journey had finally caught up to all of them, especially the hobbits. Frodo hopped up to anopen area on the tree and laiddown, smoking his pipe and staring

at the sky as birds flew by.

The food was starting to smell really good, and it was making everybody ratherhungry. Unfortunatly, they had a little while longer to wait till it was ready.

Hera glanced at them, "You know, we do have maluruns in one of those packs, if you're hungry."

Frodo lifted his head, "Maluruns? What are those?"

"It's a fruit," Ezra replied, as he grabbed one and tossed it up to the hobbit,"Try it. It's actually pretty good, especially when it's fresh."

Frodo looked at it curiously before taking a small bite. To his surprise, he found it to taste amazing! It tasted even better than the apples grown in Hobbiton. The hobbit ended up eating the whole thing, and then threw the core to some nearby bushes.

Ezra just smiled up at him as he took a bite of his own malurun fruit. If there was one thing to enjoy until dinner was ready, it'd be this.

As it was getting closer to evening, the night started to feel a bit cooler. Frodo offered the crew some blankets to keep them warm, to which they gladly accepted. Sleeping in the forest wasn't as pleasant as sleeping in Bag End, but at least there was  
/nothing out here trying to kill them.

When dinner was getting close to being ready, Frodo suddenly lifted up his head yet again, as if he was listening to something. He stayed still for a couple minutes, and then a bright smile came to his face.

"Sam!" he said excitedly.

Sam looked up at him, and then suddenly turned his head towards a far off part of the forest. He heard something too. The crew of _the Ghost_ listened as well, slightly confused. However, they suddenly realized that the hobbits were right. They  
heard

a faint noise in the distance. It sounded like people singing a slow soothing song.

"What is that?" Sabine asked.

Frodo had a wide smile on his face as he replied. "Wood elves!"

Immediately, Sam, who was very fascinated with elves, got up and began running quietly to the source of the singing. Frodo hopped off the tree and beckoned the crew to follow him before running after his friend.

Rex stood up, "Okay, I've got to see this for myself." He ran after the hobbits.

The rest of the crew looked at each other for a second, and then slowly got up and pursued the others. Unfortunatly, their tiredness had taken over their speed so they weren't as fast. The closer they got, the louder and more beautiful the singing became.

They found Frodo and Sam crouched behind a log, watching what Ezra could only describe as the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Low and behold, the young Jedi finally knew that elves existed. There were a ton of them, walking in a straight line along  
/the forest's road. What was curious though was that the elves almost looked human, except for having pointy ears and being clothed in bright gleaming robes.

Rex, Kanan, Hera, Sabine, and Zeb looked as fascinated. They had thisstrange warm feeling in their hearts as they watched these beings walk through the forest, singing in some sort of tongue. Chopper, on the other hand, just acted like himself and  
/grumbled.

"They're going to the harbor beyond the white towers," Frodo explained to them, "To the Grey Havens."

Sabine looked at him, "The Grey Havens?"

"Otherscall it the Undying Lands," Frodo replied.

Sam nodded, "They're leaving Middle Earth."

"Never to return," Frodo added.

Ezra was taken aback by that. These folk were never returning? Why would they do that? The padawan didn't quite get it. Who'd want to leave such a beautiful place like this?! It was a shame that he just saw these elves, and now they'd be gone from the  
/world. Sam seemed to have similar thoughts.

"I don't know why," the hobbit muttered, "It makes me sad."

Ezra nodded in agreement. He could not deny that he had this desirein his heart thathe could make these elves stay. But he knew that would never be possible.

They passed by too soon, and the crew of _the Ghost_ and the hobbits wished they could've seen more ofthem. However, be that as it may, they had anice hot dinner waiting for them so they returned to camp. Zeb and Ezra immediately dug into

the sausages. Frodo and Sam tried more of the malurun fruit, to which they had grown very fond of.

By the time they had all finished eating, it was dusk, so they decided to turn in for the night. Sam unloaded a ton of mats and blankets. Unfortunatly, the whole group found the ground to not be as comfortable as the beds in Bag End.

"Everywhere I lye, theirs a dirty root sticking into my back," Sam grumbled as he moved around.

Zeb agreed with him, as he too was squirming around on his mat.

Frodo, trying to make the best of it, replied, "Just shut your eyes and imagine you're back in your own bed, with a soft mattress and a lovely feathered pillow."

Zeb scoffed, "Yeah, a lot good that does-"

Ezra elbowed the Lasat in the side, telling him to shut up. Zeb just elbowed him back and turned on his side, closing his eyes.

Sam tried to do what Frodo suggested, but as the seconds went by, he found thatit wasn't doing him much good. It was kind of impossible to imagine roots being a soft mattress. He actually found himself starting to agree with Zeb.

"It's not working, Mr. Frodo," Sam replied, "I'm never gonna be able to sleep out here."

Frodo smiled to himself. "Me neither Sam."

 _The Ghost_ crew knew that they'd definitely not get much sleep out here. However, when it was getting deeper into the night, a majority of them fell asleep. Except for Ezra. Once he was certain that everybody was sleeping, he slowly got up and  
decided

to walk around the forest.

The padawan failed to notice though, that Kanan was laying on his side, watching him with a concerned look on his face.

* * *

Time was not on Gandalf's side. He knew perfectly well that the enemy had sent some sort of force to the Shire to retrieve the ring. If they were lucky, they could stop Sauron before he got his hands on it. However, Gandalf knew he'd need help. That's  
/why he travelled past the Gap of Rohan towards Isengard. There was onlyone person who'd definitely know how to counter the Dark Lord of Mordor.

Riding with great speed, Gandalf could see the tall black tower of Orthanc in the distance. As he last through a small forest, he came upon the great gates of Isengard. Immediately, the gates were opened so the wizard could pass through. But as soon as  
/he had passed, he looked back to see the gates immediately shut again.

For some reason, a flash of fear came over Gandalf, but he immediately brushed it off, thinking it nothing. He was among friends here in Isengard. He stopped his horse in front of the tower and hopped off, removing his pointy hat.

A few seconds later, a door from within the tower opened. Decending down the stairs was Saruman the White. The wisest wizard of the order. The head of the White Council. And Gandalf's leader and close friend. Saruman held a black staff in his hand. The  
/top of it resembled the structure of the tower of Orthanc. The White wizard had a long grayish white beard with long white hair.

His eyes looked even wiser than Gandalf's. For like the Grey wizard, he had seen many things. That's why the White Council had trusted him to figure out a way to stop Sauron. He knew every detail about the Dark Lord, as well as his most trusted servants.

Saruman rose a brow as he decended down the stairs, "Smoke rises from the Mountain of Doom, the hour grows late, and Gandalf the Grey rides to Isengard, seeking my council. For that is why you have come, is it not?" He came up to Gandalf and gave him  
/a warm welcoming smile. "My old friend."

Gandalf bowed his head low in respect, "Saruman."

Saruman pointed his hand towards one of the gardens of Isengard, inviting his friend to walk with him. He knew perfectly well that the Grey wizard had travelled far with urgent news.

As the White wizard led the way, Gandalf glanced up at the tower of Orthanc. For some reason, he had this strange feeling that they were being watched. He didn't know why he felt this, but it was disturbing nonetheless. It was almost as if he was being  
/stared down by piercing eyes. Gandalf decided to shake off the feeling and tell Saruman of his news.

Slowly, the two wizards walked through the garden. Saruman listened silently as Gandalf told him of his findings. The White wizard's eyes were wide with complete shock when his friend told him some specific details. He looked almost bewildered when Gandalf  
/had finished.

"You are sure of this?" Saruman asked.

Gandalf nodded, "Beyond any doubt."

Saruman looked up ahead in deep thought. "So the Ring of Power has been found," he exclaimed.

"All these long years, it was in the Shire," Gandalfmused with a smirk, "under my very nose."

Saruman frowned, "Yet you did not have the wits to see it." He looked at the Grey wizard with a disappointed look, "Your love for the Halflings leafhas clearly slowed your mind."

Gandalf nodded understandingly. He was never fond of Saruman's view of the hobbits. The White wizard tended to always ask him why he cared for them so much. Gandalf, of course, responded that sometimes it takes something far greater than some greatpower  
/to keep the darkness at bay. He had found that it was the small things, like everyday deeds of ordinary folk. Despite this, he had a great respect for the head of his order.

"But we still have time," Gandalf replied confidentially, "Time enough to counter Sauron, if we act quickly."

Saruman stopped in his tracks and eyed his friend curiously. "Time? What time do you think we have?"

Gandalf was confused, not getting what he was driving at. Saruman then asked him to follow him into the tower. As they walked, the White wizard explained that he had discovered many things regarding the Dark Lord. This interested Gandalf, and he was curious  
/to see what his friend had found.

As they were nearing the tower, Gandalf got the strange feeling of someone watching him again. He half wondered if there was someone within Orthanc, waiting for them. He doubted it though.

Saruman led him into a large dimly lit study and sat on a chair in front of a table. On said table, were various books. The wizard grabbed one book and opened it. Gandalf noticed an illustration on one of the pages. He recognized it all too well. He had  
/seen it in Rivendell several times. It was a painting of the Battle of the Last Alliance. Specifically, it was a picture of Isildor's showdown with Sauron. Gandalf could make out the One Ring on the Dark Lord's finger.

"Sauron has regained much of his former strength," Saruman explained, "He cannot yettake physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency. Concealed within his fortress, the Lord of Mordor _sees_ all. His gaze pierces cloud, shadow,  
/earth, and _flesh_."

Gandalf was standing next to the table, leaning his head against his staff. He was deep in thought as the White wizard was saying these words.

Saruman leaned his arms against the table and tilted his head. "You know of what I speak, Gandalf. A great eye. Lidless, wreathed in flame."

Indeed, Gandalf knew what he was talking about. He had seen it before, in person, 60 years ago. He could still remember the sound of the chanting as it had gotten closer and closer to him.

"The Eye of Sauron," Gandalf muttered.

Saruman nodded, "He is gathering all evil to him. Very soon, he will have summoned an army great enough to launch and assault upon Middle Earth."

Gandalf rose a confused brow, "You know this...how?"

Saruman glanced towards an open room beyond a large pair of doors. There was around stone table sitting in the middle of said room. On top of the table, was a mysterious object covered by a grey cloth.

A small smile came to Saruman's face. "I have seen it."

Both wizards entered the larger room. Immediately, Gandalf could tell what the object was. A palantir! They were once used long ago by the Dark Lord. Sauron had communicated with his servants through these small, dark mattered balls.

Gandalf looked at Saruman in shock, "A palantir is a dangerous tool, Saruman!"

"Why?" Saruman demanded, "Why should _we_ fear to use it?" He then removed the cloth, revealing the small ball.

Gandalf quickly seized the cloth from the White wizard's hand, "They are not all accounted for. We do not know who else may be watching!" He then put the cloth back over the palantir, but once doing so, a quick and sudden flash of the Great Eye appeared  
/in front of him, but then faded.

Saruman had walked up to a large black throne and sat himself down in it. It was just then when Gandalf all of a sudden realized that they weren't alone in the room. Standing next to the White wizard's throne was a lone figure. This figure was wearing  
/grey metal armor, and his face was covered by a grey mask that curiously looked similar to an Orc helmet.

Come to think of it, the whole entire armor this figure was wearing looked similar to that of an orc's. However, Gandalf could tell that this figure was no Orc. They were a thick and fatter species. This person, though, was shaped like a man. Gandalf  
/had no idea who this mysterious figure was,for it was impossible to see anything behind the mask.

Saruman spoke again, "The hour is later than you think. Sauron's forces are already moving." He then pointed to the figure next to him, "My associate here has informed me that the Nine have left Minus Morgal."

Gandalf's eyes went wide with horror, " _The Nine_?!"

Saruman continued, looking strangely unconcerned, "They crossed the river Isen on MidSummer's Eve, disguised as riders in black."

" _They've reached the Shire!_ " Gandalf exclaimed.

This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all!

"They will find the ring," Saruman replied, "and _kill_ the one who carries it."

No. Gandalf immediately realized the danger. His friends back in the Shire were walking into a trap!

"Frodo," the Grey wizard muttered.

He then quickly turned to exit one of the doors. However, when he had reached the door, he suddenly found it close itself shut and seal itself. Gandalf glanced back and realized with confusion that Saruman had done it. Not knowing what was going on, he  
/moved to exit another door, but Saruman closed it with his powers too. Gandalf went to another door, and it was closed. And another, closed. And the last one, which was immediately closed. What was going on?!

Saruman tilted his head and scoffed, "You did not seriously think that a hobbit could contend with the will of Sauron? There are none who can."

The lone figure next to the throne began to walk around behind Gandalf, still keeping his eyes fixed on the wizard. Gandalf looked up all of a sudden and stared at Saruman. Was he saying what he thought he was saying?!

Saruman shook his head sadly, "Against the power of Mordor, there can be no victory."

It was at this moment that Gandalf realized a horrifying truth. Saruman didn't learn about Sauron just by knowledge. He got the knowledge from the Dark Lord himself! Which meant-. No. It couldn't be true. Saruman said it aloud for him.

"We must join with him, Gandalf," he said, "We must join with Sauron."

Gandalf clutched his staff, staring at the White wizard with what could be described as complete shock and disgust. He had betrayed them! Saruman had betrayed _all_ of Middle Earth!

Saruman stood up and stared sternly at the Grey wizard, "It would be wise, my friend."

Gandalf glared at him and finally spoke, "Tell me, 'friend', when did Saruman the Wise abandon reason for _madness_?!"

Suddenly, a furious glare came into Saruman's eyes. An anger that Gandalf had never seen before in his life! Before the Grey wizard knew it, Saruman jerked up his staff, making him fly upwards and be pressed harshly against the wall.

Gandalf couldn't move and watched as the White wizard circled around the stone table, keeping his staff pointed straight at him. He had to brakefree. Fortunately, Saruman lowered his staff, which resulted with Gandalf falling face down onto the

cold hard ground. That gave him enough time to jerk his staff forward, and send Saruman flying backwards against his throne. He hopped back up quickly, a huge scratch across his face.

Saruman then jerked his staff to the left, which sent Gandalf crashing into a nearby table. The Grey wizard yelled out in pain, and then sent his staff to the right, sending the White wizard to crash against the wall.

Unfortunatly, Saruman gained the upperhand and sent his staff left and right several times, making Gandalf hit the floor, the wall, the throne, the round stone table, and then against a locked door.

Gandalf felt extreme pain all over. However, he knew he couldn't lose this fight. Despite his superior being even more powerful than him, he had to figure out someway to overpower him. Gandalf stood up, and made a great swing with his staff, intending  
/to send Saruman crashing through the door.

However, the Grey wizard suddenly found that he couldn't move his staff to complete the swing. Come to think of it...he couldn't move at all! Gandalf looked around, confused at what was going on, but then he realized what it was. The mysterious figure  
/was standing behind the wizard, his hand held up as if he was holdingGandalf's staff in midair.

Then, with a quick move of his hand, the mysterious figure forced the wizard's staff out of his hand. Saruman immediately picked up the staff as he watched. The figure then moved his hand to the left, making Gandalf crash face first into the wall. He  
/then moved his hand to the right, making him hit the other wall.

Then, the figure lifted Gandalf higher upinto the air, and then abruptly slammed his hand down, making him crash against the floor Grey wizard could barely move, and he looked up at the figure in shock. What kind of being could do

something impossible?!

Just then, the figure lifted his hand again, this time making into into a near fist. Immediately, Gandalf clutched his throat, choking to death. He could feel himself being lifted up into the air as he was gasping for breath. It was like the figure was  
/choking him without even touching him.

Saruman walked up next to Gandalf, looking up at him with complete amusement.

He snarled, "I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you have elected the way of _pain_!"

He then looked over at the figure and pointed up towards the tower. He nodded and then lifted Gandalf upwards. The wizard found himself going up andspinning faster and faster, until suddenly, he hit the top of the tower and he knew no more.

 **So? What did youguys think of the chapter? :) Please subscribe and tell me your thoughts. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**We have gotten deeper anddeeper into the story. :) I hope you guys enjoyed the little mystery at the end of the last chapter. :) It'll be a pretty fun journey to figure out who this masked figure is. :) Now we come into Chapter 11. :) Enjoy everyone. :) As usual, ignore any typos.**  
 **  
**

 ****

 **Chapter 11: The Black Rider**

 ****

 ****

The group had travelled far within the last couple ofdays. The nights were nowhere near pleasant, but the daytime was rather enjoyable. Kanan couldn't deny that the landscape of Middle Earth was very remarkable. As they were getting closer to the  
end of the Shire, things were starting to look bigger to the Jedi. There were bigger hills, bigger trees, and even bigger crops.

The hobbits and the crew of _the Ghost_ found themselves going through yet another corn field. This time though, it was fully grown. Zeb, as expected, was more than happy to pick a couple for tonight's dinner, but Hera told him tonot even think  
about it. Kanan just smirked at the Lasat and patted him on the shoulder.

He had to confess that so far, the journey wasn't that bad. Kanan had half expected to come across something unnatural or even evil, but so far they had seen nothing. That was good news to the Jedi indeed, because he most definitely _did not_ want  
to put his crew and Frodo indanger. Kanan hoped deep down that this would stay the same all the way to Bree.

According to Rex, Bree was only one more day away, much to the relief of everyone. Nobody would admit it, but their feet were getting pretty bruised. Even Frodo and Sam's feet weren't feeling all that great, and hobbits were supposed to handle journeys  
like these.

Kanan couldn't believe that for the past four days, this ring of Sauron's hadn't left Frodo's front coat pocket. A couple of the crew, specifically Zeb and Ezra, had hoped to get just a glimpse of it. Kanan couldn't deny that he was as curious, but there  
was something about that ring that he didn't like. The Force seemed to move darkly around it. No, it wasn't the Dark Side. It felt...worse.

Kanan thought it best to not see it. Plus, Gandalf had suggested to him that they shouldn't even look at it. Not now anyways. Honestly, the Jedi was ready to get this thing to Bree and hand it off to the wizard. But then what? Kanan had no idea where  
they would go from there. No doubt Gandalf would do his own thing with it and he and his crew could be on their way.

Kanan refused to believe that Middle Earth had no parts. There had to be something on this little planet that nobody knew about. It was quite obvious to the Jedi that Commander Sato and the rebel fleet weren't coming, otherwise they'd be here by now.  
They were basically on their own.

Kanan glanced behind him and frowned. Ezra was falling behind...again. For the past couple days, his padawan had been at the rear of the group, and he knew why. He had in fact seen Ezra get up during the night when he 'thought' everybody had been sound  
asleep. Kanan couldn't deny that he was very worried about his pupil. And thus he came to a decision that he didn't wish to do.

It was time to talk about the dream.

As everybody else continued down the cornfield, Kanan stopped Ezra and stood in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest.

Ezra looked at him confused, "Kanan, what're we doing? They're still walking."

Kanan shrugged, "Somebody will call us if they need us." He then frowned at him, "But for now, it's time for us to have that talk."

Ezra slightly paled, although he tried to act innocent. "Talk about what?"

"You know what!" Kanan snapped, "That dream you had."

Ezra looked at him, expressionless, and finally shook his head, "I really don't want to talk about that right now, Kanan."

He made a move to pass his master, but Kanan held his hand up and stopped him.

"When do you want to talk about it?" the Jedi demanded, "When you're half dead?!" He pointed back the way they came, "You haven't been doing that good of a job keeping your sleeping problem a secret! I've seen you up and about the last few nights."

"Because I couldn't sleep!" Ezra argued.

"Because you didn't _want_ to sleep!"Kanan snapped back. He then rose a concerned brow, "You're afraid to go to sleep, aren't you?! It's because of thatdream, isn't it?!"

Ezra didn't respond and just looked down at the ground. Kanan knew right then and there that he was right. And he was starting to suspect that this dream of his apprentice's was _more_ than just a dream.

"Isn't it?!" Kanan demanded.

"Yes!" Ezra snapped, "Okay?! Yes, I can't sleep because of it! I'm afraid that I might have it again! You happy?!"

It was then that Kanan saw just how afraid his pupil seemed. He was more than just afraid of the dream. He was terrified. What had he seen? Kanan felt sorry for Ezra when he saw just how troubled he was. He couldn't imagine what his apprentice did to  
keep himself awake, and he honestly didn't want to find out.

However, Kanan could also see that the effect of not sleeping was taking its toe on Ezra. The padawan had dark circles under his eyes, and the Jedi Knight could see his hands slightly shaking from the lack of sleep. Ezra had tried to call upon much of  
the Force as possible to conceal his weariness, but it was starting to not work.

Kanan placed a hand on his apprentices shoulder and spoke calmly. "Ezra, how can you expect me to help you if you don't tell me what this dream of yours is about?"

Ezra shook his head, "I don't need help, Kanan."

The Jedi rose a brow, "I think you do. Because judging by how much it's bugging you, I'm beginning to think that this dream is actually a vision."

Ezra looked up at him, surprised, "How did you-?"

"You can't hide stuff from me, Ezra," Kanan said with a small smile, "no matter how deep you try to bury it."

Ezra was about to say something else, but then he stopped when he heard someone yelling.

"Mr. Frodo?!"

It was Sam. Kanan and Ezra looked at each other and then ran down the path to catch up with the others. As much as Kanan didn't want to, he'd have to wait yet again to discuss the dream with his apprentice. What could've possibly happened to Frodo anyways?!

Kanan and Ezra turned the corner and saw Sam and the rest of the crewrunning down the path.

"Frodo?!" Sam called, "Frodo?!"

Just then, Frodo showed up from a nearby corner, much to the relief of everyone. Sam sighed and leaned against his walking stick.

"I thought I lost you," he sighed.

Frodo rose a brow, "What're you talking about?"

Sam shrugged as he walked up to him, "It's just something Gandalf said."

"What did he say?" Frodo asked.

"'Don't you lose him, Samwise Gamgee'," the hobbit replied, "And I don't mean to."

Zeb smirked, "Yeah, that definitely sounds like someone the old guy would say."

Without warning, the Lasat pulled off a piece of corn from a nearby plant and started to shuck it.

"Zeb, that's not yours!" Hera snapped at him.

Zeb just rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, Hera. It's just one little corn. The farmer's not even gonna notice it's missing." He then held it up and took a bite out of it.

Sabine looked at him digested, "Gross, Zeb! That corn's not even cooked!"

He chuckled, "I know. But it still tastes good."

Frodo just grinned and shook his head before looking back at Sam. "Sam, we're still in the Shire. What could possibly happen?"

They found out sooner than expected. Suddenly, without warning, something ran into both Zeb and Frodo, causing them to crash hard against the ground. The Lasat got his big head stuck in between a couplestalksand was wiggling around to brake  
himself free.

As for Frodo, the hobbit looked up to find the grinning face of Pippin staring down at him.

"Frodo!" the hobbit exclaimed happily, "Merry, it's Frodo Baggins!"

Sure enough, on top of Zeb was Merry. The hobbit stood up and grinned as well.

"Hello, Frodo!" he said.

Sam angrily marched over to Pippin and pulled him off his friend, "Get off him!"

Sabine looked at the two hobbits in bewilderment, "Um, where in the world did you two come from?!"

"That way," Merry replied, pointing back into the cornfield.

That wasn't exactly the answer to the Mandalorian's question, but she didn't even bother to say anything else and just rolled her eyes. Sam grabbed Frodo by the hand and helped him up. Frodo then looked over at his two kin and placed his hands on his  
hips.

"What's the meaning of this?" he demanded.

Without answering, Merry walked up to Sam and handed him some veggietables, "Here Sam, can you hold these?"

Just then, Zeb furiously broke his head free of the corn stalks and sat up. The moment he saw Merry and Pippin, a scowl immediately appeared on his face and he clenched his fists.

"You two again?!" he growled.

Ezra placed a hand on his forehead and groaned. "Oh no."

Both hobbits immediately went wide eyed. Merry grabbed Pippin and pulled him into the cornfield as the Lasat stood up.

"Run, Pip! He's gonna end us!" he shouted as they went off running.

"You're darn right I will!" Zeb called after them as he gave pursuit, "Come here, you littlerunts!"

Kanan placed his hand on his forehead as well. And here he thought it'd be smooth sailing. He felt bad for both Merry and Pippin and Zeb. Because whenever they were together, they seemed to be bad luck for each other.

Sam looked down at the veggietables that Merry had handled them. He could've sworn that he had seen these before. But where? The hobbit thought for a couple seconds, and then his eyes went wide.

"They've been into Farmer Maggot's crop!" he exclaimed.

Hera tilted her head questionably, "Who's Farmer Maggot?"

No sooner had the Twi'lek asked that question, then everybody heard the barking of dogs and someone yelling. Kanan looked above the stalks to see some sort of stick with a sharp edge on it moving its way through the field. And it was heading straight  
towards them!

"You come back here!" a gruff voice shouted, "Get out of my field! Just wait until I catch up with you!"

Kanan looked back at everybody else and gave a nervous grin. "I think that's Farmer Maggot. And he doesn't sound too happy."

Apparently Frodo and Sam had some past experience with them, because as soon as they had heard that, they went pale. Sam immediately dropped the veggietables.

"Everybody run!" Frodo yelled, running into the cornfield after Merry, Pippin, and Zeb.

The crew of _the Ghost_ didn't have to be told twice. They immediately ran after the hobbit, not really wanting to meet this Farmer Maggot face to face. They were running through the field fast, and that resulted in a couple of the leaves smacking  
into their faces.

Rex wasn't very happy about that andended up smacking every single leaf in his path.

"Now we're being chased by farmers," the clone grumbled, "What could happen next?!"

Meanwhile, Merry and Pippin were a good ways ahead of the group. They were hoping to have lost Zeb, but the Lasat seemed even more angrier and desperate than the last time. They would be lucky if they made it out alive. Neither hobbits even bothered to  
worry about the veggietables. In their minds, Zeb was _far worse_ than Farmer Maggot.

However, the hobbits unexpectedly found themselves out of the cornfield and stopping in front of a stone edge that went down to a road. They were going to go another way, but it was too late. Zeb charged out ofthe field and accidentally ran into  
the two hobbits. All three of them ended up rolling down the steep hill until they finally stopped on the road.

As for everybody else, they too ended up on the edge, but were also ran into by the others and were rolling down the hill. Before Zeb, Merry, and Pippin knew it, the rest of the group landed on top of them. Rex looked like he was going to go insane. Sabine  
had the dirtiest look on her face, considering that she got the paint job on her armor wet. Hera, Kanan, and Ezra looked completely ticked. And Chopper came down the hill, laughing at him.

Everybody glared at the astromech before slowly getting up.

"Oh, that was close," Pippin commented, considering his head was only a couple inches away from a pile of manure.

Merry sat up and groaned, "I think I've broken something." He then pulled out from under him a broken carrot.

Zeb growled andpushed the hobbit off him abruptly. "Oh, you're gonna breaksomething, alright." He showed Merry his fist, "Your face is gonna be broken after I'm through with it!"

"Oh yes, please do it!" Sam grumbled in agreement as he heaved himself up, "Trust a Brandybuck and a Took."

"What?" Merry asked in defense, "It was just a detour. A shortcut."

Hera looked at him, completely annoyed. "A shortcut to what, exactly?"

Pippin's eyes suddenly went wide as he was staring at something sticking up along the road.

"Mushrooms!" he exclaimed, getting up and running towards the plants.

Both Zeb, Merry, and Sam'sheadspopped up at the mention of that. All three of them got up and ran after Pippin, knealing down and looking at the plants in admiration. Boy, would this be a good meal tonight!

"On second thought," Zeb chuckled as he grabbedsome, "all is forgiven."

Rex walked up and watched them, shaking his head. He held his helmet at his side.

"What is it with hobbits andmushrooms?" he asked, looking at Kanan.

The Jedi shrugged, not really knowing the right answer. Honestly, he could ask the same thing about Lasats. The bright side was that they had an addition to their meal for the night. Well, that was unless the three hobbits and the Lasat ate them up first.

As the others were distracted with the mushroom picking, Kanan rose a brow when he noticed Frodo just staring down the road. The Jedi stared down the road too, but saw nothing. Yet, he sensed deep worry in Frodo, and he wasn't sure why. Did the hobbit  
see someone coming? Was he just shaken up by the unexpected fall? He couldn't tell.

Kanan walked up to Frodo, "Everything okay?"

"I think we should get off the road," the hobbit replied, not even looking up at him.

Once again, Kanan looked up at the path, but still saw nothing. He was kind of confused with why Frodo wanted to get off.

"Why?" he asked, "I don't see anything coming."

No sooner had Kanan said that, then he suddenly felt a great disturbance in the Force. The wind all around them had suddenly picked up at a most rapid speed and there was a strange chill in the air. Kanan could sense something coming down the path. Apparently  
Frodo did too because his face looked terrified.

"Get off the road!" the hobbit yelled to the others, "Quick!"

Zeb looked up at him confused, "Right now? But we're still picking."

Kanan twirled around, "Do as he says, Zeb! There's something coming!"

Hera looked at him, both comfused and worried, "Kanan? What is it?"

The Jedi shook his head, "I don't know. But I've got a very bad feeling." He looked at the rest of the group, "Everyone, off the road now!"

Zeb and the hobbits shot him a look of disappointment before gathering the bags of mushrooms they had and got off the road. Everybody else immediately followed. Frodo saw a little hiding place below the road and pointed to it. The crew of _the Ghost_ crawled  
in first, and then the hobbits sat on their laps. Sam sat on Hera's. Merry and Pippin sat on Zeb, which the Lasat wasn't too happy about. And Frodo sat on Kanan.

For a couple of seconds, everybody was starting to become annoyed and wondered why they were in this ridiculous position. However, their question was answered most unpleasantly. Up on the road, they heard hooves slowly walking their way. Kanan had become  
familiar with the hooves of a horse during their stay in the Shire. However, the closer this horse got, the more dread the Jedi suddenly felt in his heart.

Everybody else had the exact same feeling and had fallen silent. They looked up above them nervously. There was a strange chill in the air, and nearly every one of them developed goosebumps. Some of the crew weren't even breathing and were praying that  
whoever was on the road would simply pass by. Unfortunatly, that was not the case.

The horse stopped right above them. Kanan noticed a small gap where he could see a bit of the road. He could make out two black hooves that seemed to be covered in what looked like blood. The Jedi thought he could even see a nail poking out from one of  
the hooves.

Suddenly, a pair of metalbooted feet dropped to the ground, and Kanan immediately turned his head. Nobody even breathed as they heard the feet slowly walking above them. They didn't even want to look up because they were so terrified. Even Hera  
looked paler than usual. Kanan decided to risk a look. He looked up to see a figure in a black cloak crouched over the side, swaying his head left and right.

Kanan thought he could hear the cloaked figure sniffing, as if he was some sort of dog on a hunt. Everybody else looked up too and immediately regretted it. Their hearts were pounding so hard that they thought they'd explode. There was something about  
this figure that made them feel...afraid.

They were so distracted that they didn't even see Frodo take the ring out of his pocket. Immediately the figure turned his head in the direction of the hobbit and the horse began to whine loudly. However, Sam noticed what Frodo was about to do, and placed  
a hand on him to stop. That broke the whole entire _Ghost_ crew out of their trance and back to reality. Frodo buried the ring in his fist and the figure began swaying again.

Then, without warning, Merry seized the bag of mushrooms and threw them to a faraway tree. Immediately, the cloaked figure let out a terrifying screech as it went after the bag. That gave the whole group a chance to make a run for it. They went deep down  
into the forest until they were for sure that they were far away from the cloaked person.

Immediately, everybody, except for Frodo, dropped to the ground, both exhausted and scared out of their minds.

"What was that?!" Merry exclaimed.

Nobody answered the hobbit's question. All Frodo did was look down at his hand and then put the ring back into his front coat pocket, without anybody seeing.

Sabine shook her head, panting, "I don't know what that was. But I don't want to see it again!"

"That makes two of us," Zeb commented, his eyes wider than usual.

Kanan frowned, stroking his chin with his hand, "I don't think we really have a choice in the matter. That rider was...strange." He looked at the others, "He'll be back. I'm certain of it."

That didn't make anybody feel better in the slightest. All the hobbits had a look of dread on their face. Even the crew didn't look that happy.

Hera sighed, trying to shake the fear off her, "Then it's essential that we get away from hereas soon as possible."

Kanan nodded, "Agreed."

Without another word, they were off. This time, they checked the road several times, expecting to see the black rider riding down it. Merry, Pippin, and Sam were confused as to what the rider was and what he was doing in the Shire. Kanan, however, knew  
what the rider was. Gandalf had warned him about it back in Bag End.

Sauron had unleashed the 'worst.' 


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 12: Fleeing to Buckleberry Ferry**  
 **  
**

 ****

Unfortunatly for the group, the Black Rider did return. Several times. It was traveling about in the most strangest manner ever. Captain Rex could've sworn that he had seen the rider come near their position more than a couple was something  
peculiar going on. The clone veteran knew enemy strategy. And this black rider was most definitely an enemy.

Rex and Sabine had put their helmets on when night fell over the land, setting them to night vision. Unlike the other members of the group, they were able to make out moving things in the darkest corners of the forest. Whenever they spotted the rider,  
they immediately set a signal forthe crew and the hobbits to duck.

Normally, Rex would have his blasters set for stun, but under matters like these, he had them set to kill. Whatever this black rider was, it wasn't human. Humans didn't sniff around or make others tremble in fear. The clone felt ashamed of himself to  
have been scared so easily by this...thing. What was beneath that hood anyways? He reckoned it wassomething awful.

Ducking behind cover so much kind of reminded Rex of the Clone Wars. He had never been in tough situations like these since he and his brethren had clashed with the Seperatist droids. But this wasn't a battle droid. It was...something else. Something  
made of pure evil. Rex had never been much of a follower of the Force, but after encountering this black rider, he suspected that this was what the Dark Side must feel like.

That sent several questions into the clone's head. How in the worldcould the galaxy haveallowed the rise of the Empire? How could they settle with pure evil controlling every single system in space? Everything seemed corrupt. And Rex honestly  
didn't want any part of it. He wished, out of everything in the whole galaxy, that they could finally put the Republic back in order. That's where his loyalties lyed. That's where _every_ clones'loyalty lyed.

The whole group were rushing quickly through the forest. Some of them had hoped for rest, but with the black rider at large, they all knew that rest wouldn't happen until they got to the safety of Bree. Of course, Merry and Pippin were very confused at  
to what was going on, but none of the crew really had the time (or patience) to explain it to them. So they just expected the two hobbits to tag along and keep up.

Both Rex and Sabine were in attack formation, back to back, pointing their blasters in every known direction. Zeb didn't have his bo-rifle out, but he kept his hand close to it nonetheless, just in case they rang into that thing. Kanan had his blaster  
out, and handed a spare one to Ezra from one of the backpacks. Hera had a small pistol out, and whispered to Chopper several times to scan for any incoming lifeforms.

It had been a long half hour, and the black rider hadn't shown up again. Zeb hoped that they had given him the slip, but Kanan had to shatter the Lasat's spirits by raisinghis doubts. Rex definitely knew that they hadn't given him the slip. With  
anenemy this cunning, it'd be impossible to lose him that easily. No, the black rider was out there somewhere. But where he'd show up? The clone could not say.

Frodo had remained awfully quiet through the whole ordeal, seeming a bit shaken up by the rider's appearance. He casually called out to everyone when the coast was clear, but other than that, he remained silent. Sam could see the worry in his eyes, and  
pitied him. No doubt this thing was after the ring. And if that was the case, then Frodo was in great danger.

The whole _Ghost_ crew knew it too. That's why they made a protective barrier around the hobbits. Kanan and Ezra took the front with Frodo. Zeband Rex took the side. Hera and Sabinetook the other side, next to Sam and Merry. And Chopper  
took the back with Pippin. Neither the droid nor the hobbit had the slightest clue what was happening.

They halted next to a big tree, surrounded by tall bushes.

"Anything?" Sam called out.

Frodo shook his head in reply, "Nothing."

Rex and Sabine used their night vision to scan the sides of the forest.

"All clear,"the clone reported, lowering his blasters.

Sabine nodded, "Same."

Pippin, who had become very exhausted, lazily walked up to the others, followed by Chopper.

"What is going on?!" he asked, leaning against the tree.

Zeb glanced over at the hobbit and rolled his eyes. "Oh, nothing much," he answered sarcastically, "Just being hunted by some crazy sico path, that's all!"

Everybody ignored the Lasat's comment and just stayedput for a little bit, catching their breath. Merry, who had come to realize that this was serious danger, walked up next to Frodo, deep in thought.

"That black rider was looking for something," he said with a frown, "or _someone_." He then stared his friend straight in the eye, "Frodo?"

Before Frodo could reply, Chopper suddenly let out a series of panicked beeps. Hera immediately glanced beyond the tree, her eyes going wide.

"Everybody get down!" she hissed.

They did as told, crouching behind the bushes. Sure enough, the black rider was back again. His silhouette could be seen on the farthest road, facing the moon. Rex frowned and shook his head, watching as the rider galloped down the hill and out of sight.

Kanan glanced over at the clone and saw him strangely quiet, which usually meant he was troubled.

He placed a hand on his shoulder. "Rex, talk to me," he whispered.

Rex pointed all around them, "The rider's tactics are...strange. We've seen him show up behind us several times. That could mean manythings. One, he's lost his way, which is highly doubtful. Or two, he knows that we're in this area of the forest."

Sam didn't like either option, but the second one bothered him the most. He quietly walked up to the clone and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um, what if it is option 2, Mr. Rex?" he asked nervously.

Everybody glanced at Rex, obviously wondering the same question.

The clone tightened his grip on his blasters. "If he knows we're here, then he's waiting for the right time to launch a surprise attack."

Kanan groaned and placed a hand on his forehead, "I think option 2 is most likely a possibility."

Ezra's heart was pounding violently and he was panicking. "So...we're trapped."

"No," Hera answered, shaking her head, "There's eleven of us and only one of him. If this black rider tries to pick a fight, we might have the upper hand."

Rex frowned and shook his head, "With all due respect, General Syndulla, I think that'd be a rather foolhardy move. We don't even know what this black rider is capable of. If we attack, _we_ might be the ones who get overpowered."

Kanan nodded, "Rex's right, Hera. This isn't some ordinary being. Gandalf told me that Sauron might unleash the worst to find...Frodo." He looked at the hobbit sympathetically.

Frodo didn't respond. He just remained quiet and listened, knowing everything the Jedi was saying was true. This black rider was after him, specificallywhat he carried. If he could, he'd probably kill the hobbit when he got the chance.

Finally, after all had fallen silent, Frodo spoke, "I have to leave the Shire." He looked over at Merry, "My companions and I must get to Bree."

Merry nodded, understanding, "Right." He then looked down in thought, and a few seconds later his head instantly shot back up. "Buckleberry Ferry! Follow me."

The hobbit then rushed off down the forest. Everybody else followed him, although the crew of _the Ghost_ had no idea what Buckleberry Ferry was. Zeb commented that it sounded like a stupid name. Rexwasn't sure if it was just because of the  
name, or because the Lasat despised both Merry and Pippin.

Kanan caught up to Merry, running alongside him. "What exactly is Buckleberry Ferry?"

"It's a small boat that we Brandybucks use to cross the river," Merry replied, "It's also kind of a shortcut to places we need to get. We get to the Ferry, you guys get to Bree in no time."

"Incoming!" Rex suddenly yelled in horror.

Everybody twirled around to see the black rider charging straight towards them on his horse. He let out another horrifying screech that made a majority of the group cover their ears. The rider then turned its head towards Frodo, and charged his horse  
straight in the hobbit's direction. Unfortunatly, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were also with him.

The second they saw the black rider heading towards them, the hobbits let out a scream and tried to go around the horse. But the beast's monsterous black bloodied legs kept on blocking them.

"Karabast!" Zeb yelled, grabbing his bo-rifle.

He then aimed for the black rider and fired. Unfortunatly, the Lasat missed. However, the horse upon which the rider rode, had never heard such a loud and startling sound in all its life and let out a loud whine of terror, standing on its hind legs. The  
black rider seemed as startled and turned his hooded head left and right to find out where the noise came from.

That gave the four hobbits enough time to run past him and join the others. Rex raised a brow when he realized what was going on. That gave him an idea.

"He's not used to hearing blasters!" the clone exclaimed. He then turned towards the others, "Fire your guns! We can scare him off!"

Kanan, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and Rex proceeded to lift their blasters towards the sky and fired. The horse whined again and the black rider flinched at hearing the sound. The crew realized it was working and kept on firing. Neither the beast nor its rider  
could handle the noise. It sounded too strange and overwhelming to them.

The rider then began to shreak in fury. The crew then began to slowly move towards him as they continued firing. Slowly, the horse began to back up, despite the black rider trying to make it go forward. The hobbits seemed as startled at hearing the crews'  
blasters for the first time and stared in complete bewilderment. Ezra stood in front of them, accompanied by Chopper. The astromech was letting out a serious of scared beeps.

Zeb then pointed his bo-rifle at the black rider again, "Okay you sico, let's see how youhandle this."

He then fired, and this time hit the rider straight in the face. Big mistake. When the black rider felt the laser bolt hit him, he suddenly let out the loudest squeal ever heard. It was so loud that it made the whole group fall to the ground, closing  
their ears in pain. Even Rex's helmet couldn't protect him from the screech.

Finally, it stopped, and everybody hesitantly got off the ground. To Zeb's shock, he found the black rider still standing.

"How is henot dead?" the Lasat exclaimed in horror, " _How is henot dead_?!"

Kanan shook his head, "There's no time for that!" He then looked at Hera, "Specter 2, get everyone to the Ferry! Ezraand I will keep the riderbusy!"

Hera looked at the Jedi, unsure, "Kanan..."

"We'll catch up!" Kanan snapped, "Don't wait for us!"

Hera knew it was pointless to argue with him, so she did as told. Her, Sabine, Zeb, Chopper, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin began running down the forest. Merry was leading the way to the Ferry. Ezra didn't even bother to tell Kanan that he didn't want  
to fight this thing, because he knew he had little choice. However, Rex stayed with the two Jedi.

Kanan looked at him, "Rex, get out of here!"

The clone shook his head, "I never leave my general."

Kanan wanted to argue, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to get through to him. He simplyjust three of themturned towards the rider, who was slowly galloping towards them. He looked at each one of them for a split second,  
and realized what they were doing.

The black rider then reached into his cloak and unsheathed a long sharp black sword. Behind his helmet, Rex's eyes went wide. He had seen commando droids weild swords before, but seeing a sword this big and menacing made his stomach clench. The clone  
had a very bad feeling about this.

Then, the rider spoke in a very hideous and terrifying voice. The kind that sent a chill up their spines.

"Fools," he scoffed, "It is not yet your time."

Kanan glared at him and activated his lightsaber, standing in a fighting pose. "You're not going anywhere near that hobbit!"

Ezra too activated his lightsaber, it's green glow shining across the ground. Rex rose his blasters, and pointed them at the rider.

"Obey" the black rider hissed, "or you shall sleep with the worms this night!"

Without warning, he immediately attacked, swinging his sword at the Jedi. Both Kanan and Ezra ducked, nearly missing theblade from colliding with their heads. Rex fired into the air again, but the rider had become used to the sound, and it didn't  
bug him as much. He swung for the clone's arm, but missed.

Ezra jumped to his feet and swung his lightsaber to hit the black rider, but instead hitthe horse. The beast whined in pain, but it wasn't dead. The slash from the apprentice's lightsaber had merely scratched it. It seemed far too used to such treatments.  
Kanan went for its other leg, creating a big gash deep in the skin.

The black rider saw Ezra and brought his sword down upon him. Theyoung Jedi held his lightsaber up to block the blow. However, when it did, Ezra found to his relief that his saber went through the black blade, breaking it in half. The black rider  
reeled back in shock, looking at his shortened blade. Ezra grinned and rose his lightsaber to finish him off, but the horse suddenly stood on its hind legs and kicked him back against a tree.

When the horse set back down, Rex rolled next to it, aimed, andfired at the black rider. Once again, it let out a huge screech that filled the air. Ezra felt like he could black out. Kanan felt like he could go deaf if he heard a sound like that  
again. And Rex felt like his head could explode. The clone laid against the floor, pressing his head hard against the ground.

"Rex!" Ezra snapped, "You're only making him angrier!"

Rex groaned as he stood up and reached for his belt. "Okay, then let him eat this instead!"

The clone threw two smoke bombs towards the black rider. Immediately, they started to spin, releasing tons of smoke around the figure and his horse. The rider turned his head left and right, confused.

"Now!" Kanan yelled to Ezra.

Both master andpadawan stood in place. Then, they pulled their arms back as far as they could, and then jerked them forward. Using the Force, they launched the black rider from his horse and sent him flying back against a large tree surrounded by  
a column of stones. He hit the stones with a loud satisfying thud.

The Jedi and the clone exhaled, lowering their weapons. They turned around and began to slowly walk towards the Ferry. However, Kanan halted, feeling another disturbance in the Force. He looked back and saw, to his bewilderment, that the black rider was  
standing up! He rose from his place like a snake coming out from a deep hole.

Ezra and Rex's mouths hung open. Both were speechless at the same time. The rider grabbed his broken sword and slashed it against a nearby rock, instantlyturning the end of it sharp once again. He was beyond angry. He was _furious_. Slowly,  
the rider began walking towards them, his metal boot cruchimg against the broken tree branches.

"How?!" Ezra asked, pale in the face.

"He can't be killed!" Kanan exclaimed, deactivating his lightsaber, "Get to the Ferry! _Now_!"

Rex obeyed without hesitation. There was a time to be brave and a time to fight. And now was not the time to be brave. The black rider hopped back on his horse and gave pursuit. However, the Jedi were fortunately the faster.

They soon exited out of the forest and saw the Buckleberry Ferry sailing out into the river. It wasn't exactly a huge ship. Just a small little boat that barely fitted the four hobbits and the rest of the team. They saw Kanan, Ezra, and Rex running towards  
the dock, and were yelling for them to hurry.

Kanan nodded to Ezra and they used the Force to push Rex off the dock and onto the boat. The black rider was closing in fast, swinging his blade violently. The two Jedi reached the edge of the dock, and just as the rider aporoached them, ready to finish  
them, they force jumped off it and landed into the water right in front of the Ferry.

Hera and Sabine reached out a hand to Kanan and Ezra, and helped them onto the boat. They were both soaking wet and exhausted. Without a second thought, the two Jedi collapsed onto the floor of the Ferry. The black rider screeched at the fleeing boat,  
unable to give pursuit. Zeb growled and fired his bo-rifle at him.

Even though the rider couldn't be killed by thelasers, it didn't want to feel that pain again. So he turned and galloped for the path leading South. Zeb wanted to continue firing, but was stopped by Hera, who told him that it was pointless.

Frodo walked up to Merry, who was rowing the Ferry. "How far to the nearest crossing?"

"The Brandywine Bridge," the hobbit replied, still looking at the fleeing black rider, "20 miles."

"Um...guys?" Sabine said, shock in her voice.

Everybody looked to where the Mandalorian was pointing to. They saw the black rider turn onto the road...followed by two more black riders! Rex muttered something under his breath before removing his helmet from his head.

"We've been wrong about thisall along," the clone said, shocked, "That black rider didn't appear behind us several times. Because that wasn't him! It was just another black rider!"

"Karabast," Zeb muttered, placing a hand on his forehead.

Every one of them didn't know what to say. They all knew that whatever these things were, they were coming for the ring. It was essential that they get to Bree at all cost. The village might not be safe from the riders, but they were sure that they wouldn't  
show their faces in public. Rex knew this for a fact because they seemed to liketo stay in the shadows.

Ezra stuttered, "How many of these things are there?!"

Nobody had an answer. 

* * *

Near the borders of Hobbiton, in the middle of the forest, a lone black rider galloped on his horse down the path. It was nearingthe Halfling civilization and it was getting closer to noon.

However, the rider suddenly stopped his horse and looked right, into a column of trees. Hetilted hishead for a second before dismounting from his horse. Cautiously, he walked through the trees and came into an open area.

There, in the middle of a lake, sat _the Ghost_. The black rider walked up to it and traced a gloved hand along the ship's side. He then looked to his left and then to his right, expecting to see someone else waiting. However, there was nobody.

But then the black rider caught a glimpse of footprints that led back the way he came. He crouched down and slowly followed them. They went right upto the path, and then turned left towards Hobbiton. The rider suspected that's where they had gone.  
He was about to remount his horse, but then noticed another set of footprints within the trees going the opposite direction.

He saw this as strange, and realized that the owners of the ship _had_ been in Hobbiton, but had left. So he decided to follow the other trail. Where did it lead? The black rider had no clue.

 **Hope you guys enjoyed chapter 12. :) Now, I understand that the last part of the chapter might be a little confusing, but I promise you that you'll understand it when we get further into the story. Anyways, please reviewand I'll see you guys next time. :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay, so I had debated whether or not to include Tom Bombadil in the story. I love the character and I wish he could've been in the movies. However, after a long thought, I decided to follow the movie and have them arrive at Bree. I hope you guys understand. Anyways, thank you for your reviews of the previous chapter. :) I'm glad to hear that you guys enjoyed it. :) The story will be getting better and better, I can promise you that. :) Enjoy chapter 13 guys. :) Please subscribe.**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 **Chapter 13: At the Inn of** _ **The Prancing Pony**_

 ****

 ****

 ****

When the group had gotten off the Buckleberry Ferry, they were relieved to find no black riders giving pursuit. Most of them were still shocked and shaken up that there was more than one rider at large. Sabine Wren had never seen such horrifying creatures  
before. She, like many others,had come to the conclusion that these riders weren't human.

No human could survive a blaster bolt right to the face. That was almost...immortal. Ever since they had left the comfort of Bag End, the Mandalorian had been a bit cautious about the outside world. And the fact that there was more than one sico maniac  
hunting them confirmed her fears. When they had gotten stranded, this whole ordeal was the last thing Sabine expected to be doing. Yet, here they were.

There was no denying that Middle Earth wasn't controlled by the Empire, but this Sauron seemed far worse. Sabine knew for a fact that the Emperor himself didn't have creatures like these black riders to do his biding. Or did he? She was sure that Darth  
Vader didn't exactly count, despite the Sith Lord being so terrifying and menacing.

When Sabine had been in the Imperial Academy on Mandalore, she had researched several events from across the galaxy. And she most definitely had seen a lot of strange stuff. Some were horrible criminals that sought bloodshed. Others were rather...unnatural.  
By that, she meant that one wouldn't encounter thingslike these that much across space. The black riders were no exception.

Part of Sabine wondered why she had fled during the fight. She felt ashamed. She was a Mandalorian! Bound by honor! Where was the honor in running away like a coward?! She should've stood by Kanan, Ezra, and Rex's side, fighting along with them! Why did  
she run?! Then the answer hit Sabine. She ran because she had always ran. She ran from Mandalore when the Empire put her people into fear, using the weapons she created. She ran from her family when they chose to stand with the Empire instead of her.  
She ran from _everything_. What kind of a Mandalorian was she if she didn't stand and fight like the warrior she was bred to be?!

Sabine was taken out of her thoughts by the sudden rumble of thunder. It was getting deeper into the night, but she could see monstrous clouds overhead. Before long, rain started to pour down, drenching the whole entire group. Sabine groaned in aggravation,  
knowing her paint job on her armor would definitely look awful now.

The group quietly crept through the trees. Unfortunatly, the ground had become muddy so it slowed them down. Zeb grumbled in aggravation as his feet continued to sink into the ground whenever they halted. Frodo was at the head of the group, keeping his  
eye on the road, and keeping his hand close to his front pocket. They soon came to the edge of the forest and stood before another road, leading East and West. Up ahead, everybody was finally happy to see the gate to the village of Bree right in front  
of them.

The hobbits had slipped on cloaks over them, and offered some extra to the other crew members. Well, at least the ones who could wear them. Sabine, Rex, and Zeb were the ones who weren't so lucky. The Mandalorian and the clone really didn't mind though.  
They had their armor to keep them dry. Zeb on the other hand was soaking wet, and it was really making him grumpy.

"On top of everything, it's raining!" the Lasat growled.

"Who cares?" Sam replied, shivering, "I'm just glad we finally made it to Bree." He looked over at Frodo and Kanan. "That means those black riders won't be able to get us, right?"

Kanan looked at Frodo, but could instantly tell that the hobbit wasn't sure. He honestly wasn't sure either. It was possible, considering that Bree had to be heavily populated. Would Sauron try to look for the ring here?

 _Be careful, all of you. The enemy has many spies in his service._

 __

Kanan closed his eyes, rememberingGandalf's warning.

"I don't know," the Jedi finally replied, answering Sam. He then looked at everybody, "But even if the riders don't show up, that doesn't mean we're safe. Gandalf said that Sauron had spies _everywhere_. That includes people."

Frodo nodded in agreement, "Yes, and the fact that we are no longer in the Shire makes me worry about the people here. Gandalf advised me to not use the name 'Baggins'. The enemy would know it instantly."

Zeb rose a brow, "So what are we going to do then?"

"I'll go by the name 'Underhill'," Frodo replied, "at least until we meet up with Gandalf at _the Prancing Pony_."

Ezra elbowed Zeb and whispered, "Underhill? Seriously?"

The Lasat just chuckled before nodding, along with everybody else. Without saying another word, they quickly ran across the muddy street and up to the wooden door. Frodo knocked on it, but there was no reply. A couple people, specifically Merry and Pippin,  
glanced back at the road, expecting to see the black riders coming towards them, but there were none.

Frodo knocked on the door again, swiftly growing impatient. This time, somebody did answer. An ugly looking old man opened up the top of the door, seeing the crew of _the Ghost_. He rose a brow at the appearance of Hera and Zeb, but then knelt down  
and opened another little part at the bottom of the door. He saw Frodo standing in front of the whole group.

"What do you want?" he asked with a frown.

"We're heading for _the Prancing Pony_ ," Frodo replied.

The old man, who was obviously the gatekeeper, stood up and opened the door, shining a lamp on all of them. Sabine eyed him suspiciously. He had a rather odd and untrustworthy look to him.

"Hobbits," the gatekeeper exclaimed, "Four hobbits. Out of the Shire, by your talk." He then looked back up at _the Ghost_ crew, "And traveling with men, and...whatever. Ya don't usually see groups like these together."

Sabine saw Hera clench her fists together. If this man continued to be this nosy andimpolite, she was almost certain that the Twi'lek would punch the living daylight out of him.

Kanan crossed his arms and glared at him. "Is there a problem?"

The gatekeeper shook his head quickly, "Oh no no, good sir. Just curious is all. What business brings you to Bree?"

"We wish to stay at the Inn," Frodo replied.

Before the hobbit could continue, Kanan stepped forward and waved his hand in front of the gatekeeper's face. "And our business is our own."

The gatekeeper blinked, "Your business is your own."

Merry, Pippin, and Sam exchanged glances, confused about what was going on. Ezra just smirked and shook his head.

Kanan waved his hand again, "You will let us into Bree without question." He then tossed him some credits, "And take these as payment for silence."

The gatekeeper held the credits in his hand, "I will let you into Bree without question, and take these as payment for silence."

He then stepped aside, opening the door for them. The three hobbits stared at Kanan with their mouths hanging open in shock. What did he just do?! How did he get the gatekeeper to let them in?! Sabine grinned behind her helmet and tapped them on the shoulder.  
They looked at her, and she pointed for the door, indicating that they should get going.

They all began to slowly squeeze through the door.

"I meant no offense, good people," the gatekeeper said apologetically, "It's my job to ask questions after nightfall. There's talk of strange folk abroad. Can't be too careful."

Kanan nodded, "Highly understandable." He slightly moved his fingers, "Which is why you won't let those strange folk in."

The gatekeeper shook his head, "I won't let those strange folk in."

"Good," Kanan smiled and bowed, "Good day to you."

"Good day," the gatekeeper replied, closing the door once everybody was through.

The group began walking down the street towards the village of Bree. The rain began to pourdown hard, making them cover themselves with their cloaks the best they could.

Merry looked at Kanan and stuttered, "Ho-How-How in the world did you do that?! What even was that?!"

Kanan smirked, "The Force has a strong influence on the weak minded."

Merry was still confused, "Meaning?"

Ezra sighed and rolled his eyes, "It means that as a Jedi, he can do a mind trick on anybody that is weak minded." He shook his head, "Seems to be his favorite thing to do, honestly."

Kanan frowned at his apprentice, "Yes, and sometimes I wish it worked on you."

Both Zeb and Sabine stifled a chuckle at that remark. Ezra glared at them and hit them both in the shoulder. As for the hobbits, they seemed even more fascinated with their friends than before.

As the group entered Bree, they found things to be less pleasant than they had was definitely no Hobbiton, and Sabine knew that it'd take some getting used to. For the first time in who knows how long, the crew of _the Ghost_ saw  
normal sized people. Unfortunatly, they weren't the most pleasant folk.

Almost every person they came across looked shady and mysterious. It made Sabine feel a bit uneasy, and she kept her hands close to her twin blasters. Everybody soon learned that not only were they shady, but they were rude as well. They came across several  
men, who appeared to be drunk, and they had the audacity to shove the crew and the hobbits aside. The Mandalorian restrained herself from teaching them a lesson.

They soon came across a bearded man who was chewing on a carrot andleaning up against a fence. Without warning, he suddenly belched right into Sabine's face, and she could smell the stench from beneath her helmet. The crew shot him a glare before  
pressing on, and she just shoved past him. However, Zeb stayed there for a moment and tossed the man some credits. The man took them and looked up at the Lasat, both confused about what he was and what the money was for.

"Do yourself a favor and buy a breath mint!" Zeb said with a scowl before walking off.

The streets seemed to be full of drunken men. Sabine could see why because a majority of them had mugs of ale in their hands. She suspected that this ale must be very popular across all of Middle Earth. The Mandalorian then glanced up at the sky, and  
frowned. It didn't look like the storm was going to lighten up anytime soon, and she was getting tired of it.

Just then, Frodo stopped in his tracks and pointed up to a sign hanging from one ofthe buildings. And everybody was very happy to see it, because they were ready to get out of the storm.

'THE PRANCING PONY'

Within a split second, they all immediately entered the Inn and removed their jackets. It was warm inside, and it felt good. Sabine and Rex removed their helmets and breathed in the fresh air. Well, it wasn't exactly fresh, considering that there was  
a _very_ strong smell of alcohol in the air. The Inn was packed with people. They were basically just laughing and drinking.

The group stood by the waiting desk for the owner of the Inn. He didn't seem to notice them though because he was busy attending to his other customers. Zeb and Sam were starting to get somewhat impatient.

Kanan tapped the table, "Excuse me?"

Just then, the owner appeared. He was a slightly heavyset man with a bushy mustache and beard.

"Good evening masters and little masters," the man exclaimed with a smile, "I'm Barliman Butterbur, the owner of _the Prancing Pony_. What can I do for you? If you're looking for accommodations, we've got some nice cozy hobbit-sized rooms available,  
as well as a couple normal sized rooms for you men and," he glanced at Hera and Zeb weirdly, "...whatever."

Hera just rolled her eyes and tried her best to keep her mouth shut. She was wet, tired, and hungry. The last thing the Twi'lek wanted was to be thrown out onto the street.

Butterbur continued, "Anyways, I'm always happy to help with big folk and you little folk Mr. uh..."

"Underhill," Frodo replied with a nod, "My name's Underhill."

Butterburraised a brow, looking like he was trying to remember something, but simply nodded. "Underhill."

"We're friends of Gandalf the Grey," Frodo explained, "Can you tell him we arrived?"

Butterbur looked down, "Gandalf? Gandalf?"

Kanan and Ezra exchanged glances.

"Oh yes!" Butterbur replied, "I remember! Elderly chap. Big grey beard, pointy hat."

Frodo smiled and nodded.

Butterbur then tilted his head, "Not seen him for six months."

Those words immediately shattered everyone's spirits. The wizard wasn't here?! Where was he?! The relief in their hearts for reaching Bree was gone, and fear and worry took its place. Frodo looked back at them, both confused and worried as well.

"What do we do now?" Sam whispered.

From the look on Frodo's face, Kanan could tell that the hobbit didn't know what to do. They were supposed to meet Gandalf at _the Prancing Pony_ , and he wasn't here. He walked up to Butterbur.

"Listen, are you sure he hasn't shown up?" the Jedi asked him, "He told us to meet him here."

Butterbur shook his head apologetically, "I'm sorry, my friend, but I haven't seen him here. I usually remember every face, both friendly and strange, that comes into this Inn. And if I don't remember Gandalf coming in, then that means I haven't seen  
him."

Kanan nodded, understandingly, "Well then, I think we'll be needing those spare rooms,if they're still available."

"Oh of course!" the Inn Keeper nodded quickly, "I'll have my workers show you to your rooms."

Without another word, Butterbur snapped his fingers, and instantly two hobbits came up. Nob and Bob were their names. The Inn Keeper instructed them to show the guests to their rooms. Nob led the hobbits to their room, while Bob led the crew of _the Ghost_ to  
the spare rooms.

Unfortunatly, there were only two. Hera, Sabine, and Chopper took one room while Kanan, Ezra, Zeb, and Rex took the other one. Sabine was more than happy to set down the backpacks she had been carrying. Hera collapsed ona nearby bed for a second  
and just enjoyed the peace and relaxation. The Mandalorian couldn't deny that she too was tired. They had been walking nonstop for days, and now there were those black riders to deal with.

She removed her helmet and set it down on a desk. The room was well lit by three lamps, and there was a window nearby where you could see the streets. Sabine didn't really know what there was to see though, because the villagewas, in her mind, a  
dump. It almost reminded her of the Underworld on Coruscant. Yes, she had been to the Imperial Capitol before, during her days at the Academy. Her superiors had given them a tour of the Underworld. Basically, the Empire was wanting to give its future  
soldiers an example of how to place people in fear. And the 'less rich' seemed to be that example, which disgusted the Mandalorian.

Chopper rolled up to Hera and made several beeps.

Hera rolled her eyes, "No, Chop, you can't come downstairs! You'll confuse a whole lot of people." She then looked down and grumbled, "It's bad enough that I'll probably get most of the attention."

Sabine grinned and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hey, I'll have your back, Hera. If anybody has an issue with you, they'll have a laser bolt in their face."

"Well thank you," Hera chuckled shaking her head, "It's been one heck of a day already."

Sabine nodded, "Tell me about it."

They walked out of the door, but not before Hera gave Chopper a warning look to do what she said. The droid just made a groan and shut himself down. Both women found the rest of the crew, including the hobbits, downstairs sitting at a table. Everybody  
looked exhausted from the journey.

Butterbur brought them some ale, to which they gladly accepted. Frodo explained to everybody that it was possible Gandalf could be a little late. He was sure the wizard would turn up eventually, so they'd just stay at _the Prancing Pony_ and wait  
for him. Unfortunatly, they all felt a lot of eyes glancing at them from all corners of the tavern.

Kanan and Ezra pretended to take no notice. Zeb clutched his mug tightly, trying to restrain himself from strangling the nearest person he saw. Hera pretended to be sleeping. And Sabine and Rex took no notice. The clone slowly sipped his ale, looking  
down in thought.

Sabine smirked, "You seem tired, captain."

Rex smiled andshrugged, "Well, it's been a crazy couple of days."

"I honestly didn't think something like this could happen in this world," Sabine commented, referring to the black riders.

Rex frowned, "Eh, it's not the first time something like this happened. Believe me, there were smallcases involving the undead during the war."

Sabine's eyes slightly widened, "You dealt with things like those black riders during the Clone Wars?!"

"Sort of," Rex replies with a tilt of his head, "although I in particular never did. One of my best friends, Commander Cody, encountered a horde of undead Geonosians in the bugcatacombs. He accompanied Generals Kenobi and Skywalker in a hunt for  
Jedi Master Luminara Unduli _and_ the Seperatist war criminal, Poggle the Lessar. They were greeted by a hostof zombies and a crazy bug Queen.I watched a holographic recording of the incident, and I thought to myself how lucky I was  
to have not been down there." He then frowned and shook his head, "But this...this honestly seems much worse than a bunch of zombie bugs."

Sabine shivered at that. She had heard about Geonosis several times during her days at the Academy. But she had never heard of zombies being on the planet. The Mandalorian pitied the poor clones that must've died during that ordeal.

"Fortunately for us Mandalorians, I don't recall us having to deal with undead," Sabine replied, but then paused, "Except for your template, the bounty hunter, Jango Fett."

Rex rose a confused brow, "I was under the impression that Jango was just a common bounty hunter."

"Oh no," Sabine answered with a shake of her head, "He was a Mandalorian of the old order. However, some timeafter his mentor, Jaster Marrel, was killed, he ended up getting captured by the Jedi Order, but escaped. He then became one of the best  
Mandalorian bounty hunters in the galaxy. Anyways, from what I read at the Imperial Academy, Fett was hired by Count Dooku to hunt down a Dark Jedi named Komari Vosa. She was the head of a group called the Bando Gora. Her soldiers were a bunch of  
mindless undead warriors. Eventually, Fett found her and killed her. That's how he became the template for the clone army."

Rex seemed a bit baffled by this. Apparently, the clones had never really known much about their 'father.'

"Interesting," the clone mused, "You learn something new everyday."

Sabine chuckled as she drank some of her ale. Before she could say anything else, however, a group of men walked up to their table. One of them, a muscular man with a deceitful look on his face, checked Sabine out with interest.

He tapped Rex on the shoulder, "Excuse me, gramps? But do you think you could let me have this little lady? She needs to buy me that drink she promised me."

Before Rex could respond, Sabine looked up at the man with a stern look on her face. "I never offered to get you a drink."

The man nodded, trying to act innocent, "Of course ya did, don't you remember? You walked up to me and said 'Bill Ferny, I'm gonna do ya a favor and buy ya a drink.'" He then placed a hand on the Mandalorian's shoulder, "Just trying to be friendly."

Sabine clenched her fists, "If I were you, I'd take that dirty hand off me."

Bill Ferny chuckled, unthreatened. "Oh? Well what are ya gonna do about it, little lady?"

As soon as he said that, he found quickly that he had made a mistake. Within the next to seconds, Sabine had grabbed Bill Ferny's arm, twisted it, and flipped the man onto the hard floor. She then pulled his arm back hard, making him squeal in pain.

"Still want me to buy you that drink?" Sabine mocked, "Or would you rather lose your arm?"

Bill Ferny squealed in pain, "Okay okay! Let me go, please!"

With a smirk, the Mandalorian finally released him. Without a second glance at her, Bill Ferny furiously marched off to a nearby table, followed by the rest of the men. Kanan and Ezra just grinned at her and continued drinking. Rex just  
hobbits looked alarmed at her, and were very thankful to not be on her bad side. Within the next few minutes, the tavern had returned to normal and everybody continued talking as if nothing had happened.

Sam kept on nervously glancing at the entrance. Sabine understood why, because she too was beginning to wonder where Gandalf was. It had been almost a couple hours.

Frodo looked over at him, "Sam, he'll be here. He'll come."

"When will that be, I wonder?"Zeb muttered sarcastically.

Ezra glared the Lasat a elbowed him, "Soon, Zeb! We just got to be patient."

Zeb groaned and rolled his eyes, "We've been patient for two hours!"

Bill Ferny looked over at the group and shot them a dirty look before marching to another table. Unfortunatly, Merry, who hadgone up to get another ale, came into the man's path.

"Get out of my way!" he snapped at the hobbit, shoving him aside.

Merry, who looked unconcerned about the rudeness, sat down with everybody else. A couple of them noticed that his mug was a bit larger than theirs, especially Pippin.

"What's that?!' the hobbit exclaimed.

"This my friend," Merry responded, "is a pint."

Pippin's eyes went wide, "It comes in pints?!" He immediately got up, "I'm getting one."

Sabine just rolled her eyes and leaned her head against the table. If it was gonna be like this for another two hours, she was sure she'd go crazy. What was taking Gandalf so long?! All they could do was just wait until he showed up. However, with the  
black riders out and about, the Mandalorian hoped he'd show up soon. The last thing she wanted to end up was dead.

However, the longer they waited, the more a majority of _the Ghost_ crew began to suspect that something had happened. And if that was the case, they weren't sure what to do. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Enjoy Chapter 14, guys. :)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 **Chapter 14: An UnexpectedAlly**

The Force was sending many warnings through Kanan's mind as he sat in the middle of the tavern. So many eyes were focused on them, and he could sense many things. Wonder, hate, deceit. These men were not the kind to be trusted. Kanan debatedto himself  
whether it was a good idea to stay at the Inn for the night. He was hoping that Gandalf would finally turn up. But the wizard never came.

What caught Kanan's eye was Bill Ferny. The man looked like nothing more but a drunken man, but he sensed something else. Sure, the man could suffer a sprainedarm from a headstrong Mandalorian female, but he sensed that Ferny feared someone much  
more than Sabine. Kanan became suspicious when he saw the man walk up to Pippin, who was getting a pint just like his cousin's. If this Bill Ferny turned out to be an enemy, the Jedi Knight would be ready for him.

Kanan glanced down at Sam, who was sitting in between him and Frodo. He rose a brow when he saw that the hobbit looked worried. Ezra could see it too, and he shot his master a questionable look. Kanan shook his head, confused as well.

"Sam?" he asked, "What is it?"

The hobbit pointed to the far corner of the tavern, "That fellow has done nothing but stare at us since we arrived."

Frodo, Kanan, and Ezra glanced over to where Sam was pointing. Sure enough, they saw a mysterious hooded figure sitting alone, and staring straight at them. Kanan couldn't exactly see his face, but he could make out a goatee around his mouth. The figure  
was also smoking a pipe. He had a creepy look to him. Just staring at him made Kanan not trust him.

Frodo seemed as concerned, because he began to move around more in his chair. Ezra looked down at the table, trying to pretend the hooded man wasn't staring at them. However, the young padawan could feel those piercing eyes gazing at him. Sam tried to  
follow Ezra's example, but it did him little good either. The poor hobbit wished he could shrink into nothing. The rest of the crew weren't paying attention and were focused more on talking.

Just then, Barliman Butterbur walked by with a tray. Frodo immediately stopped him.

"Excuse me?" he said, pointing towards the figure, "That man in the corner. Who is he?"

The Inn Keeper looked over and immediately paled when he saw the man. He quickly turned his head away from him and looked at Frodo.

"He's one of them Rangers," Butterbur explained, "Dangerous folk, they are. Roaming the Wild. What his right name is, I've never heard, but around here, he's known as Strider."

With that, he then walked off to finish his other duties. Kanan, Ezra, and Frodo looked at each other, not sure what to think of this Strider. The man had a foul look about him. Ezra suspected that he may be with the enemy. If that was the case, then  
they needed to be ready to fight if necessary.

Hera drank some of her ale, then looked at the three of them. When she saw them looking at something, and she turned to see what it was, an uncomfortable look came over her. The Twi'lek's hand slowly lowered to her blaster.

"Um, who's that?" Hera whispered.

Ezra shrugged, kind of nervous, "I don't know. The locals here call him Strider."

Hera rose a concernedbrow, "Strider? I don't like the sound of that."

Kanan held up his hand in a calm gesture, "Let's just leave it be. We don't want to cause any trouble with the people in this village. I think that's the last thing Gandalf would want of us."

Frodo nodded in agreement, "Kanan's right. It's best if we leave that Strider fellow alone. He seems rather...too dangerous to me."

Nobody bothered to argue, and left it be. They agreed that they were already in enough trouble with the black riders. Having this Strider in the mix wouldn't be the best idea. Kanan didn't like how the man just sat there, watching them.

The Jedi then saw Ezra reaching for his lightsaber, but he immediately placed a calming hand on his arm.

"Not now, Ezra," Kanan whispered with a shake of his head, "not unless we need to."

After a slight pause, Ezra nodded ahd relaxed his hand. His gaze did not leave the ranger though. And honestly, neither did Kanan's. He tried to find something else to focus on, but he always found his eyes turning back towards the man.

Neither of the Jedi noticed Frodo fidgeting withsomething in his hand, and closing his eyes.

"Baggins?" a sudden voice exclaimed out loud.

That caught the whole group's attention, and they all looked over to see Pippin talking to Bill Ferny and a couple other men. Frodo's eyes opened again and his head shot over to the Took's direction.

"Baggins? Sure I know a Baggins," Pippin said drunkingly. He looked over at them and pointed at Frodo, "He's over there! Frodo Baggins! He's my second cousin, twice removed on his mother's side-" He continued to ramble on and on.

Everybody went pale, realizing that they were in danger.

"Karabast!" Zeb hissed, "The little runt's gonna ruin everything!"

Frodo agreed with the Lasat. And then, without warning, he hopped out of his seat and was hastily making his way towards Pippin.

Kanan stood up, "Frodo, wait!"

But the hobbit didn't hear him as the crowd had become very loud. A couple members of the crew debated whether or not to go after him. Kanan glanced at them, and then began to follow after Frodo. However, by the time he had gotten past a couple men, the  
hobbit had already reached his kin.

"Pippin!" Frodo snapped, trying to make him shut up.

"Steady!" Pippin exclaimed.

However, when the Took had looked over at Frodo, he had accidentally pushed him back with his mug. Frodolost his balance and tripped onto the ground. But when he did that, his hand suddenly launched something into the air. Kanan stopped to see what  
it was, and realized instantly that it was the ring!

Everybody within the tavern gazed at it as it began to fall down towards the hobbit. Frodo held out his hand to catch it, but the ring instead slipped onto his finger. Then, something happened that alarmed everybody in the room. As soon as the ring slipped  
on Frodo's finger, the hobbit suddenly vanished! The crowd let out a gasp of alarm and began to yell in panick.

Kanan stared at the spot Frodo had been, alarmed. Frodo disappeared just like Bilbo had at the party in Hobbiton! But how in the world-?! Kanan suddenly realized why. Everything began to make sense now. It was all because of this ring! Bilbo had disappeared  
because he had the ring in his hand, just like Frodo did just now!

The ring made people invisible! 

* * *

Frodo saw many shapes about him. Everything was a blur. The hobbit couldn't tell where he was, but he knew that he had to be invisible. Was this how Bilbo always experienced stuff when he put on the ring? It was rather odd, and kind of a bit unsettling.

Frodo looked around him, and realized that he was still in the tavern. He heard many strange noises going through his ears, but he didn't know what it was. He couldn't make out anybody yelling, or talking, or running. Nothing at all.

However, the hobbit suddenly felt cold and shaky. Was it just his imagination, or did it feel like there was something behind him? Frodo looked back, but immediately regretted doing so. Slowly moving towards him, through all the shapes, was a great fiery  
eye. It was the scariest sight the hobbit had ever seen. Frodo then heard a horrifying chanting begin to happen.

Then, a deep low menacingvoice began to speak, " _You cannot hide. I see you!_ "

Frodo began to crawl back, fearfully. He was now officially scared and helpless.

" _There is no life, in the void_ ," the voice said mockingly, " _Only...death_."

Frodo looked down at the ring. He knew that whatever this great eye was, it was coming towards him because the ring was on. He needed to take it off, and quickly. Frodo grasped the ring on his finger, and with a great heave, he pulled it off.

Much to his relief, he found the eye to have vanished, and he was back in the tavern. He let out a sigh of relief. However, Frodo suddenly felt a strong hand grab him by the arm and hoist him to his feet. He was then pulled to a lone corner next to a  
series of stairs.

Frodo was then pressed hardly against the wall and stared straight into the eyes of a hooded man.

"You've drawn far too much attention to yourself, Mr. 'Underhill'!" snapped Strider. 

* * *

The whole crew of _the Ghost_ had a lot of questions when they got to this world. And most of those questions had been answered after what just happened. They had wondered what made this little ring so special, and now they knew. It made people invisible,  
which was quite alarming.

Sam, Merry, and Pippin looked just as shocked. Although, the Took felt a bit guilty because he felt responsible for what just happened. Nobody in the groupwas in the mood to drink now. As a matter of fact, nobody in the whole tavern was in the mood  
to drink. Several angry men marched up to Butterbur and demanded him to explain what just happened.

Finally, after a brief silence, Zeb let out a whistle, "Well...that happened."

Rex just shook his head in disbelief, "In all my years as a soldier, I've _never_ seen anything like that."

"That's a surprise, coming from you," Ezra responded.

Kanan frowned and just stared at the spot where Frodo had vanished. So if the ring had made the hobbit invisible, then why didn't he just appear again? He looked around the room, trying to see if he could find Frodo. Part of him wished he could use the  
Force and push all these people out of the way. But if he were to do that, he was sure they'd all be in for it.

Just then, to Kanan's relief, he spotted Frodo. However, he wasn't alone. He could see the ranger, Strider, shoving the hobbit upstairs. He was in trouble.

Kanan glanced at his companions worriedly, "We've got to get upstairs! Now!"

Sam rose a confused brow, "What do you mean? Did you see Mr. Frodo?"

Kanan nodded, "Strider has him!"

Zeb scowled and grabbed his bo-rifle, standing up, "He won't have him for long. Not after I'm done with him!"

Sam, who seemed just as angry, jumped to his feet and grabbed a nearby stool. Merry and Pippin followed suite. With a nod from Kanan, everybodyelse took out their blasters. They shoved their way through the crowd, ignoring the dirty glares that  
they got from the men.

"Hold it," Hera said, holding up her hand. She pointed towards the Inn's entrance behind them, "Where's he rushing off to?"

Kanan looked back and frowned. Bill Ferny was making his way to the door. He saw the man kept on looking at the spot where Frodo had disappeared. He didn't look as alarmed as the rest of the men in the tavern, and that disturbed Kanan. The Jedi began  
to suspect that he was a spy. And if he was, they would be in big trouble!

"I'll take care of him," Kanan replied, looking back at the crew, "You all get upstairs and help Frodo."

Hera nodded, "Got it."

They all rushed up the wooden stairs, and Kanan speed walked to the door. Bill Ferny was grabbing his cloak and had just stepped outside into the storm. He wasn't getting away that easy. Careful to not let anybody see him, Kanan lightly used the Force  
and pushed some people aside so he could get through.

There were a series of angry shouts, but the Jedi Knight paid no mind to them. He rushed out the door, and saw Ferny starting to head down the street. He didn't get very far though as Kanan caught up to him and grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Bill Ferny scowled at him, "What's it to you?"

Kanan stood in from the of him and folded his arms over his chest. "You seemed to be in a big hurry, pal. There isn't a reason for that, is there?"

Ferny glared at him and shrugged irritably, "Who are you to be snooping into my business?! If I was in a hurry, it's no concern to you!" He shoved the Jedi aside, "Now get out of my way!"

Kanan, however, wasn't willing to take no for an answer. He once again seized Ferny by the shoulder and pinnedhim against the wall.

"You know, I have a feeling you're gonna go tell somebody about what you saw," Kanan said. "Am I right?"

Ferny shoved his hand off of him, "Like I just told you, pal, it's none of your business!"

Kanan shook his head, "You're not going to tell anybody anything."

The man stared at the Jedi with a raised brow, and then burst out laughing, "Oh I ain't, am I? And why is that?"

Kanan shrugged and waved his hand over Ferny's face, "Because you didn't see anything."

Ferny blinked for a second, and then shook his head, "I didn't see anything."

"In fact," Kanan continued, "you don't even remember this night because you were drinking too much."

"I don't even remember this night because I was drinking too much," Ferny replied with a chuckle.

The Jedi nodded, "You should probably go home and take a nice long nap."

Ferny scratched his head and then let out a huge yawn. Sleepiness had suddenly come over him.

"I should probably go home ahd take a nice long nap," he said tiredly.

Without another word, Bill Ferny walked off. Kanan assumed he was going to his house, wherever that was. The Jedi just smirked and thanked the Force that mind tricks worked well on the people in this world. He then looked back at _the Prancing Pony_ and  
frowned. He was hoping that the others could help Frodo. However, Kanan had a strange feeling that this Strider might be a tough one.

He glanced once more around the streets of Bree, making sure there was nobody else leaving the Inn in a hurry. He finally nodded, satisfied that all the spies were taken care of. Kanan then turned and rushed back into the Inn.

Now for Frodo. 

* * *

The second floor above the tavern was unusually quiet. The moment the three hobbits and the crew of _the Ghost_ had gotten upstairs, Hera had signaled for them to walk slowly. Allthe doors were closed, and nobody else could be seen. They knew  
that Strider and Frodo were up here though. There was nowhere else they could've gone.

Zeb was at the front of the group, his bo-rifle set to kill. He was followed by Sam, Rex,Merry, Sabine, Pippin, Ezra, and then Hera, taking up the rear. It didn't help that the floor was made out of wood though. Every step they took, there was a  
low creaking sound coming from the floor. Everybody held their breath that they weren't heard.

Ezra had seen Kanan use the Force to sense any presence on the other side of a door. So he decided to give it a try. Unfortunatly, within the next second, the padawan realized that he still had much to learn in the ways of the Force. They'd just have  
to look for Frodo the old fashioned way. By listening.

Sam looked a little worried and whispered, "I hope he's not doing anything to Mr. Frodo."

Hera shook her head, sympathetically, "Don't worry, Sam. He'll be fine. Strider won't kill him, I promise."

Zeb rose a brow, "Uh, arewe sure about that?"

Sabine hit the Lasat in the arm, telling him to shut up.

Pippin looked at him and shook his head, "You're such a cheerful fellow, aren't you? Know exactly what to say to make a hobbit feel better."

Zeb glared at the hobbit, age turned around, jabbing his finger at him, "In case you forgot, it's your fault we're in this mess!" He then pointed at his ears, "Are you deaf or something?! Were you not with us when he said to _not_ call him Baggins?!"

Pippin stuttered, "I-I forgot."

Zeb rolled his eyes, "How hard is it to forget something important?! My gut tells me you weren't paying attention!"

"Alright!" Hera interrupted, "Can we please not argue? It's not gonna get us anywhere."

Zeb and Pippin shot each other a glare, before nodding at the Twi'lek. Just then, everybody fell silent, and listened closely. They thought they could hear something coming from the farend of the hall. Sabine went next to the wall across from the  
group and looked closely.

The Mandalorian thought she could see a small light behind the left door. But it was slowly growing dimmer and dimmer.

"I can hear voices," she whispered.

Hera nodded and then clicked her blaster, "Everybody, get ready. Get up to the door, but don't enter until I give the signal."

Merry rose a brow, "And why should we listen to you?"

Before Hera could reply, Zeb growled, "Because unlike you and your cousin, she knows what she's doing!"

Ezra shot the Lasat a warning glare before looking at Merry and Pippin. "Just do what Hera says, okay? We're gonna get Frodo out of there."

The two hobbits looked at each other before nodding. That being said, the group quietly crept up to the door. There were indeed voices coming from the other side of the door. Everybody raised their blasters, but Hera held up a finger to wait. She listened  
closely to what was being said within the room.

"What do you want?" they heard Frodo ask.

Then, a new voice replied, "A little more caution from you. That is no trinket you carry."

Hera came to the conclusion that was Strider talking.

"I carry nothing," Frodo replied, trying to sound innocent.

"Indeed," Strider said, not sounding convinced, "I can avoid being seen, if I wished. But to disappear entirely, that is a rare gift."

Frodo then asked nervously, "Who are you?"

"Are you frightened?" Strider sneered.

"Yes," Frodo answered, truthfully.

"Not nearly frightened enough," Strider replied, "I know what hunts you."

Sam had heard enough. Before Hera knew what was happening, the hobbit charged through the door, followed by Merry, Pippin, and everybody else. The Twi'lek sighed, kind of annoyed that nobody listened to her, but then rushed in as well.

Strider had drawn out a long steel sword and pointed it straight at the newcomers. Zeb, Sabine, Rex, and Hera had their blasters pointed at him, and Ezra activated his lightsaber. The ranger stared at the crew of _the Ghost_ , a bit bewildered at their  
appearance and strange weapons, but didn't look too alarmed.

Strider had long black hair that hunghalfway down his neck, and had a goatee around his mouth. The man looked a little rough around the edges. A bit too scruffy looking, in Hera's mind.

"Let him go!" Sam yelled, making a fist, "or I'll have you Longshanks!"

Strider didn't look threatened in the slightest, and smirked, putting his sword back in his sheath. "You all have stout hearts, but that will not save you."

Hera moved closer, pointing her blaster straight at his head, "Don't think that we won't shoot you!"

Strider held up a hand in a calmly, "Peace, my lady. I mean none of you any harm. I'm a friend."

"Yeah," Zeb snorted, "heard that one before."

Ezra pointed his lightsaber at Strider, "If you're a friend, then why did you abduct the hobbit?!"

The ranger shook his head, "There were too many ears downstairs that would hear what I had to say. I needed Frodo to be alone."

Just then, Kanan walked in, activating his own lightsaber.

"About time you got here," Hera remarked.

Kanan ignored her, "What's going on?" He looked at Strider, "Who are you and what is your purpose here?!"

Strider moved closer to everybody, which made them click their blasters, "I'm on your side. I'm a friend to Gandalf the Grey."

"Gandalf?!" Frodo exclaimed, "What happened to him?! Where is he?!"

Strider looked at him and sighed, shaking his head, "I do not know. He had asked me to wait here for you in case he didn't show up. And it seems that it was a good thing I was here."

Kanan wasn't ready to buy it quite yet, "If you're truly an ally, then prove it. How do we know that you're not working with Sauron?"

Strider tilted his head, "Because if I were the enemy, you'd all be dead right now."  
 **  
**

Kanan stared long and hard at the man, and then glanced at Hera. There seemed to be a long debate going on between them, and finally, they nodded to everybody else to put their weapons down. Slowly, they did as ordered, though still not trusting the ranger  
too much.

Suddenly, everybody jumped in alarm when Chopper rushed in. The astromech began to make several panicked beeps.

Sabine's eyes went wide, "Chopper says that he's reading multiple life forms approaching from the East and West!"

Everybody froze. They didn't need to wonder what those life forms were.

"How far out?" Kanan asked.

Sabine shook her head, uncertain, "A couple miles, I think."

Strider frowned and then looked at Frodo. "You can no longer wait for the wizard, Frodo. They're coming." 

* * *

Everybody knew that it was too dangerous to stay at _the Prancing Pony_. This would be the first place the enemy would look. However, Strider knew that they'd have to leave some sort of decoy. So with the help of Kanan and Rex, they placed tons of  
feathers into all of the beds, to make it look like they were sleeping in them.

Strider then led the group to an abandoned house across the street andthey camped in there. As fortune would have it, there were a couple of large beds for some of them to sleep in. All four hobbits took one bed, while Hera and Sabine took the other.  
Zeb, Ezra, and Rex leaned against the wall next to the bed, and tried to catch some sleep.

The only ones who stayed awake were Strider and Kanan. Both men pulled up seats next to the window and just stared outside. The storm had stopped, and an unnatural fog filled the air. Kanan could feel a deep disturbance in the Force. He closed his eyes,  
trying to focus. Within the next few minutes, he opened them.

 _They_ were here.

Kanan and Strider watched as severalblack riders rode up to _the Prancing Pony_ and dismounted. The Jedi looked shocked at seeing how many there were. The riders then drew their swords and barged into the Inn. Kanan was actually glad to be out  
of there.

They just sat there and waited. The Inn was completely dark, so it was impossible for either of them to see what was going on inthere. However, Kanan then saw another black rider come up, but he did not dismount from his horse. Strider frowned and  
rose a confused brow, wondering what the rider was waiting for.

All of a sudden, the rider suddenly turned his head, looking straight at their window! Both men slightly backed away from the window, in case they could be seen. The rider just stared at the window, motionless. Kanan grasped his lightsaber, just in case  
he needed to go out there and fight. Could the black rider see them? Did he know they were in here?!

However, the rider still didn't move, and just focused on the building they were in. A long five minutes passed, and Kanan felt like he couldn't breath. Finally, to their relief, the rider looked forward and rode off. They exhaled. But their relief was  
short lived as suddenly, several loud piercing squeals filled the air.

Immediately, everybody woke up. Rex and Zeb pointed their blasters at the door, and Sabine and Hera jumped out of bed in alarm. Frodo simply sat up and sat on the end of the bed, listening. Everybody stayed very still, knowing the black riders were out  
there. Strider watched as the furiously came out of _the Prancing Pony,_ mounted their horses, and rode off. The ranger just shook his head.

Frodo finally decided to ask the question that everyone had been wondering, "What are they?"

Strider looked at the hobbit and shrugged, "They were once men. Great kings of men. Then Sauron the Deceiver gave to them nine rings of power. Blinded by their greed, they took them without question. One by one, falling into darkness. Now they are slaves  
to his will."

The whole crew of _the Ghost_ looked a little disturbed after he had said that. They had never expected that these...things were once human. What kind of a person was this Sauron to be able to achieve something so dark and evil?!

Strider then looked at each one of them, "They are the Nazgul. Ringwraiths. Neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the ring, drawn to the power of the One." He then looked back at Frodo, "They will never stop hunting you."

That did not comfort any of them in the slightest. If these riders were never going to stop hunting them, how in the world were they gonna get the ring to a safe place?! Nonetheless, Strider assured the group that he would get them to where they were  
going. For it was obvious that Gandalf wasn't coming. They would have to carry on to wherever without the wizard. Strider advised the hobbits and the crew to get some sleep, because they'd have to head out early in the morning. Everybody did so, except  
for Kanan. He saw deep concern in the ranger's eyes. He looked...troubled.

"What is it?" Kanan asked quietly.

Strider stared out the window, "There are only nine Nazgul in all of Middle Earth."

Kanan rose a brow, confused by what he was saying, "So then what's the problem?"

Strider then looked at him, deep confusion and worry in his eyes, "I counted 10 here tonight."


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey guys. :) So I thought it'dbe cool to puta second mystery into the story. Who is the tenth rider? And who was that masked figurewith Saruman? I hope you guys continue to enjoythis journey. :)Anyways, here's chapter 15. Enjoy and please subscribe. :)**  
/

 **Chapter 15: Journey Into the Wild**

The unexpected had happened. Ezra Bridger was shocked to discover this, but he had actually fallen asleep. Ever since they had gotten to Middle Earth, he had been fighting to keep himself awake, but at this point, he had lost the battle and fell into  
/a deep relaxing sleep. Even though he didn't want to admit it, Ezra knew that sleep was the best thing he needed right now. Especially after all they had just gone through.

Unfortunatly, as he had feared, the vision came to him again. Everything was the exact same as the last time he had it, except that Yoda was absent this time. He saw the same path that went on for miles, and he then saw the great fiery eye coming towardshim,  
/ready to gobble him up. Ezra instantly woke up again, covered in sweat and gasping.

He found that everybody was slowly, but surly, starting to wake up. Strider, of course, was already up and was standing by the doorway, waiting for the rest of the group to get ready. Apparently, the ranger had woken everybody up, informing them thatthey  
/needed to set off. The rude awakening was not very appreciated, especially for the crew of _the Ghost_.

Despite this, they knew that Strider was right, and they should leave in case the black riders returned. Ezra knew that they had probably made them angry, and if that was the case, then he knew the riders would double their efforts to catch them. Andthey  
/couldn't let that happen. Ezra had no plans to die on this world.

It was an hour before dawn when the group set out. Fortunately, to everyone's relief, Strider decided to bargain with Barliman Butterbur into getting a horse for their journey to carry all their belongings. It was a beautiful steed, and was well builtfor  
/long journeys. Sam immediately fell in love with the horse and decided to name him Bill. That had to make Ezra smile. It seemed that even during the darkest of times, there always seemed to be a little light to make things better.

The group found themselves finally saying goodbye to the village of Bree. And they were very happy about it too. Never, in their lifetime, would they ever stay in a place like that again. Strider led them off the road and into the woods. He looked aroundfor  
/open areas that they could fit Bill through. Sometimes, if there were none, the ranger would make one himself, using his sword.

The stormy weather seemed to be no more as they got further into the forest. The sun was once again shining bright, and the birds were chirping cheerfully. However, the crew of _the Ghost_ didn't find the scenery as enjoyable at the moment, specificallysince  
/those black riders were pursuing them. They had not quite gotten over what Strider had told them.

These 'Ringwraiths' were once human! Ezra couldn't believe it when he had heard it. He could never fully picture what could be under their black hoods. Was it a face of a dead man? Was it nothing? Was it a ghost? Ezra had so many questions about thesethings,  
/but he knew that the answers would probably take time.

This Strider was a very fast person. The group found him far ahead more than once, and he usually stopped and looked back at them, waiting for them to catch up. A couple of them, specifically Zeb and the hobbits, shot him several dirty looks when he wasn'tlooking.  
/They had been traveling for nearly half a day, and already the ranger had worn them out.

Where were they even going?! Their original mission had been to get to Bree and meet Gandalf, and as soon as they had entered that village, everything had gone wrong. They were beginning to wish the wizard had shown up, because they were starting to dislikethis  
/Strider more and more. The only ones that seemed to trust him were Kanan, Hera, and Frodo. Everybody else, not so much.

Rex thought the man a bit too shady for his liking. The clone had seen many things during the Clone Wars, and if there was one thing that he had learned, it was that things weren't always as they seemed. For now, it seemed to him that the ranger meantno  
/harm, but he was going to keep his eyes open nonetheless.

Sabine was having a very difficult time trusting Strider. It wasn't anything personal, but the Mandalorian had trustedtoo many people during her life with the Empire, so it had made her become suspicious and cautious with whoever she met. It hadeven  
/taken her a long time to trust Hera and Kanan when they had recruited her for the rebellion. But obviously, that had all changed.

Ezra was the same way. So many people he had met and become close with had betrayed him. Tseebo, his parents' long time Rodian friend, didn't bother to stop the Empire from taking them when they had been accused of treason. Vizago, the alien crime lord  
/the crew used to answer to, tried to have him killed after attempting to make a deal between him and Hondo Ohnaka. And... _Maul_. Ezra had put his full trust in Maul during a mission with Kanan and Ahsoka to Malachor. But the former Sith

Lord hadbetrayed his friends. Could this Strider be any different from them? Ezra doubted it.

"Where are you taking us?" Frodo finally decided to ask.

Strider, without looking back at him, replied, "Into the wild."

Sabine rolled her eyes irritably. "Well that's very specific," she muttered.

Chopper grumbled in agreement. The droid wasn't too thrilled about traveling more either, but he could care less about what was hunting them. Fortunately, droids had no feelings so they couldn't be afraid. The only good side about this for Chopper wasthat  
/he didn't have to calibrate anything. _The Ghost_ was thankfully several miles away.

Merry glared up at Strider and then caught up with Frodo, "How do we know this Strider is a friend of Gandalf?"

Frodo glanced at him and shrugged, "I think a servant of the enemy would look fairer, and feel fouler."

"He's foul enough," Zeb snorted, shaking his head, "I don't like this guy."

Sabine nodded, frowning up at the ranger as she checked him out, "He's a little rough around the edges, if you ask me."

The Lasat gave a quiet chuckle, " _Everything_ about him isrough."

Frodo gave all of them a hard look, "We have no choice but to trust him."

Merry, Zeb, and Sabine fell silent after that. They hated to admit it, but the hobbit was right. Even though they had several dark thoughts about Strider, it seemed like he was the only one who could get them away from the black riders. Kanan and Herashot  
/the Mandalorian and the Lasat a look, indicating to drop the subject.

Ezra thought he could see Strider's head slightly tilted. He suspected that he had been listening to their whole conversation, even though they had been whispering. In a strange way, the ranger kind of reminded the padawan of Gandalf. That didn't meanhe  
/was going to fully trust him though.

Sam, who was pulling Bill with a rope, whispered, "But where is he leading us?"

"Rivendell, Master Gamgee," Strider spoke aloud, making everybody quickly look up at him, "To the House of Elrond."

Sam's eyes suddenly went wide with excitement. Ezra rose a confused brow. Had he heard of this Rivendell before?

Sam leaned close to Frodo, "Did you hear that?! Rivendell! We're going to see the Elves!"

Everybody perked up after hearing that. _The Ghost_ crew had been so fascinated with the Wood Elves they had seen many days ago. But they were actually gonna meet them face to face?! InEzra's mind, that was way better than seeing those blackriders.  
/Maybe following the ranger wasn't such a bad idea after all.

Kanan whispered something to Hera and thenjogged up beside Strider. The Jedi Knight thenwent into a deep conversation with him. Ezra, who had become very curious, decided to jog up as well and listen to what they were saying.

"Strider," Kanan said with a sigh, "I must confess that I'm a little concerned about Gandalf. The fact that he didn't meet us at _the Prancing Pony_ is a bit...disturbing."

Strider shot him a quick glance, "You're not the first to worry for the wizard. He seems to do that a lot." He then paused for a moment and then said, "I do not believe we've been properly introduced."

"Oh right!" Kanan exclaimed nervously, "I'm Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight."

Strider rose a brow, "Jedi? Forgive me, but I've never heard of such Knights."

Kanan smirked, "I don't think anybody here has. This world has been...different from my past experiences." He then slightly stuttered, not sure whether to ask his next question, "Um...d-did Gandalf happen to mention to you that we-"

Strider cut him off and nodded with a small smile, "Yes. You need not worry, Kanan. I had met with Gandalf long before your journey out of the Shire began. He told me that you and your companions came from beyond the stars." He then eyed the Jedi amusedly,  
/"Apparently you were not so secretive of your origins as you may havethought."

"Yeah.." Kanan replied, frowning and scratching his head, "I've been told that a lot since we arrived here."

"I'm Ezra,by the way," the padawan decided to butt in.

Kanan and Strider both jumped in alarm, not realizing Ezra had been right behind them.

"W-When did you get here?!" Kanan exclaimed exasperatedly.

Ezra smirked, "Just now."

Strider glanced backat him with amusement. Ezra thought he had almost laughed, which would be quite strange because this guy had been so serious ever since they met him.

Kanan shook his head and sighed, "Strider, _this_ is my apprentice, Ezra Bridger." He then gave his padawan one of his disappointed looks before adding, "And he happens to stick his nose into other people's business quite often."

"Indeed?" Strider commented with a raised brow. He then looked back at the rest of the crew, "And them?"

"The big guy is Zeb. He's a former captain of the Lasat High Honor Guard," Kanan replied, "Thetwo armored people behind the group are Sabine Wren and Captain Rex. She's a Mandalorian warrior and he's a clone veteran from a terrible war that occurredyears  
/ago, the Clone Wars. And then there's Captain Hera Syndulla. She's one of the leaders of a rebellion to overthrow a dangerous government called the Galactic Empire."

The ranger nodded, although all these things seemed rather confusing to him. Of course, these people came from beyond the stars so Strider knew that their ways might be a bit different than Middle Earth's. He listened curiously as Kanan told him theirtale  
/of how they got to this world. Ezra kind of smiled, figuring hismaster was probably getting tired of explaining their arrival over and over again.

The padawan learned that although Gandalf had told Strider about their origin, he had failed to tell him of how they had gotten there. So learning that their memories had been mysteriously wiped concerned the ranger. He remained silent through the whole  
/tale until Kanan had finally finished.

Finally, Strider spoke, "So you have absolutelyno memory of how you arrived into this world?"

"None," Kanan replied with a shake of his head, "It's almost like we had fallen under some sort of dream." He then looked back at his padawan and frowned, "Speaking of which, Ezra, I noticed you finally managed to get some sleep last night."

Ezra shrugged uncaringly, " good it did me."

Strider raised a confused brow, wondering what they were talking about, but not bothering to ask.

Kanan looked at him and sighed, "Could you give us a moment?"

Strider nodded before walking up ahead. Kanan and Ezra slowly backed towards the end of the group.

"Okay," the Jedi Knight said with his arms crossed, "Talk to me."

Ezra shook his head uncertainly, "Kanan, there's nothing to talk about."

"I think we both know that's not true," Kanan replied with a frown. When his apprentice didn't respond, he spoke again, "You had it again, didn't you? The vision?"

Ezra groaned, giving up on trying to keep this dream a secret from his master, "Okay, you're right. I had it again." He then tilted his head confusedly, "It was the exact same dream, except for a couple other things missing."

Kanan stroked his chin in thought. "Like what? Ezra, just please tell me about this dream. You can't keep it a secret forever." He placed a hand on his shoulder, "You just have to allow yourselfto open up to those closest to you."

Ezra looked down, guilt written all over his face. He knew Kanan was right, but he was afraid of what he might interpret the dream to be. What if it was going to happen? What if it meant that they were all in greater danger than they could've imagined?  
/Ezra sighed and looked up towards the sky, closing his eyes as cool wind blew against his face.

He knew that it was time to reveal it. Without another hesitation, Ezra told Kanan everything, without anybody up ahead listening. He told him of the mysterious path, meeting an illusion of Master Yoda, the warning he had been given, and lastly, the eye  
/of pure flame. Hearing about this eye disturbed Kanan. His brow furrowed as Ezra became more descriptive of what it looked like.

"Kanan," Ezra said, shaken up, "W-What could this all mean?"

Kanan placed his hands on his hips and let out a huge sigh, "If the descriptions you told me were true, then it seems that you had a premonition of some kind."

"Premonition?" Ezra asked, not knowing what that was.

His master nodded as he was remembering something, "I read about them in my studies at the Jedi Temple. They're visions that are meant to tell you something. Very few Jedi ever receive these special visions."

"Great," Ezra groaned hopelessly, "and I just happened to be one of the lucky ones."

Kanan didn't even bother to comment on that and just shook his head, "I don't know what you saw, Ezra, but I do know that the future is always in motion. In Master Yoda's words, there are many possible futures. The trick, however, is to find out which  
/path is the right path."

That made no sense to Ezra. However, he did know that if this 'premonition' could definitely come true, then he had to be ready for it. The only problem was, he didn't know what he could do. So much things were happening right now and it was difficult  
/for Ezra to see what was the right path. Kanan saw his confusion and stopped him.

He put both hands on his student's shoulders as he said, "All we can do is trust in the Force, Ezra. That's what can help you. That's what can stop whatever is coming."

Ezra replied with just a simple nod, although he was still unsure of what was to come. He didn't know when this would happen, but he hoped that the Force would be his guide.

He'd definitely need it.

* * *

They had camped late atnight, and unfortunately got only a couple hours of sleep. Like the previous day, Strider woke them up before dawn and they trudged through the woods. Some of _the Ghost_ crew and the hobbits were struggling to stay on  
/their feet. Zeb, Merry, and Pippin happened to be the delinquents that fell behind. And the ranger constantly calling for them to keep up just made them despise him more and more.

Zeb swore that he'd have _him_ keep up once he broke one of his bones. Merry and Pippin, on the other hand, were dying of starvation. They had eaten very little for the first day of the journey. Unfortunately, Sam was running low on food so they  
had

to ration it. Nobody was happy about it.

Not even another sunny day could lighten their mood. It got even worse when the later morninggot cloudy and slightly sprinkled some rain. The group covered themselves in cloaks, trying to shieldtheir faces from the light rain. Strider took

no notice and just looked about like he always had. His face was wet, but he simply wiped it off with his arm if it got _too_ wet.

Some wondered how he did it, but took it back when they remembered how filthy and scruffy he was. He could for sure take a beating. A majority of the group may not trust him, but they could see, by the look in his eye, that he had been through a lot.  
/And they were sure that Strider wouldn't tell them the story anytime soon.

When the light rain stopped, they had come to a large group of apple trees. However, that's when the hobbits got an idea after they realized what time it was. Without informing the others, they stopped Bill and unloaded some to the food from the packs.

Strider and the crew of _the Ghost_ had continued walking, but they didn't get very far when they realized there were no hobbits following them. They turned to find them looking through the bags of food and setting their belongings on the ground.

"Gentlemen," Strider called to them with a frown, "we do not stop till nightfall."

Pippin looked at him as if he'd gone mad, "What about breakfast?!"

Zeb looked at the hobbit, both confused and annoyed, "What're you talking about? We already had it earlier."

Pippin put his hands on his hips and just shook his head disappintingly at the Lasat, "We've had one, yes. What about _second_ breakfast?"

Zeb rolled is eyes and just turned away, not bothering to deal with the likes of the Took today. He slung his bo-rifle over his shoulder and walked forward. Strider followed suit, although he instead went into a large apple tree. The others didn't know  
what he was up to, but really didn't care. They were cold, wet, and extremely tired.

Merry just shook his head angrily and picked all his stuff back up, "I don't think they know about second breakfast, Pip."

Pippin then looked worried as he chased after his cousin, "What about elevenses?! Luncheons?! Afternoon tea?! Dinner?! Supper?! Surely they know about them!"

Merry looked at him and simply grumbled, "I wouldn't count on it."

Ezra was about to respond that they most definitely knew about lunch and dinner, but before he could do so, a ton of apples came flying out of the large appletree Strider had walked into. A couple of them hit Pippin on the head, which slightly amused  
Zeb. Merry caught an apple, and patted his cousin on the shoulder before walking off.

Pippin just stood there for a couple minutes. He was confused as to where the apples had come from.

"Pippin, keep up!" Merry called back to his cousin.

Strider emerged from the trees and signaled for the group to move onwards. Even though the apples weren't really needed, the crew of _the Ghost_ gladly accepted them, and munched on a couple. They actually restored their energy so they could keep  
going.

Unfortunately, the further they went, the more most of them were beginning to regret coming on this journey.

 **Hey guys, I'm sorry about having to update this chapter left and right. There was just an error and it made fanfiction accidentally publish this chapter when I hadn't finished it. I kind of had to make this one short, and I'm sorry for that. I promise you though that these next chapters will be longer. For now, I hope you enjoyed this one. :) Till next time. :)**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 16 is up.:)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 **Chapter 16: The Growing Darkness**

 ****

 ****

Strider led the crew and the hobbits through very tough places. It didn't take long for them to realize that some of the lands outside of the Shire weren't the greatest. The land had become steep, the forests were nowhere near decent. Ezra could've sworn  
that he could feel something lurking in the shadows behind all those trees. Maybe it was the black riders, but he wasn't so sure.

They had been traveling for six days, nothing looking new. There were just trees and more trees. The hobbits wanted to be out in the open. They wanted to see mountains and streams. Unfortunately, the ranger had led them nowhere near those things. Kanan  
half suspected it was because of the riders. Who knows how many times those things had been through these woods. He could feel what his apprentice was feeling. There was a strange darkness in these lands. The a Force moved darkly all around them,  
and the Jedi Knight wondered if the enemy was close.

Strider was the only one who knew the answer to that. He seemed to have had experience with these beings. He knew if they were close because at often times, he'd have the group stop. Then he'd press his head against the ground, listening. Zeb wanted to  
complain, but Kanan told him to let the ranger do whatever he was doing.

The Jedi also found that Frodo had once again fallen silent throughout the journey. Kanan couldn't blame him, because he knew that too many risks had been placed on the hobbit's shoulders. If the riders wouldn't stop their pursuit, then he feared that  
danger could be right around the corner. Kanan could also see that Frodo often kept his hand close to the ring in his pocket.

None of _the Ghost_ crew had bothered to discuss this, but when the whole disappearing ordeal happened back at _the Prancing Pony_ , something strange had happened to all of them. Kanan understood why Gandalf wanted the ring kept from their sight,  
because the Jedi now found his eyes constantly glancing back at Frodo's front coat pocket. Just one glimpse of it, and already he had a desire in his heart to hold it.

Kanan tried with all his might to push the feeling aside. As a Jedi, he was bound by rules. Desire was a path that led to the Dark Side. Master Billaba had shown him once what it did to people. He had seen several holograms, recorded from the helmets  
of clones, of Jedi who had gone rogue. Count Dooku, once the first ever apprentice of Master Yoda, had fallen to the Dark Side because he lost faith in the Jedi Order and _desired_ something more. Pong Krell, a war hero during the Clone Wars,  
turned evil after seeing a vision of the future. He saw a new order would come, and _desired_ to be a part of it. The Grand Inquisitor, once a temple guard for the Jedi, had lost faith in the Order after the trial of Ahsoka Tano, who was falsely  
accused of treason.

Kanan understood that desire was one of the most dangerous things in the galaxy. Desire led to jealousy, and worst of all: Greed. Kanan only wondered what this little ring could do. What could it do to him? What could it even do to Ezra? He didn't want  
to think about how it could affect his padawan. All he could do was protect Ezra the best he could.

It was the afternoon when the group found themselves _finally_ coming out of the forest. They were beginning to think that the trees would have no end. However, once everybody got a good look at what was before them, they all rose their brows. Before  
them was a massive swamp. It seemed to go on for miles, and there were swarms of angry midges roaming around.

Strider looked at them, "This is the path we must take."

Zeb frowned and placed a hand on the back of his head."Great. Um, where is it?" he asked sarcastically, "Around this swamp?"

A couple people hoped the ranger would say yes, but unfortunately that hope was shattered.

"This _is_ our path," Strider replied, pointing forward, "The Midgewater Marshes. It's a shortcut that'll get us closer to the borders of Rivendell. We will not be pursued through here."

The hobbits and a couple of the crew groaned and looked at each other. They were seriously gonna have to go through all of this?! A smelly, slimy, bug-invested swamp?! The man had to be joking.

"Well..." Ezra said with a nervous laugh, "this all sounds great but...couldn't we go throughanother path?"

"My thoughts exactly," Zeb huffed, agreeing with the kid.

Strider nodded, expressionless, "If you wish to take another road, then that is fine." He then gave the two a piercing stare, "But this is the path your guide will take you on. So if you wish to find another way, you will find it alone."

He then turned and slowly made his way into the marshes.

Zeb clenched his fists and gave a low growl, "Guide or not, I'm gonnato hit that guy!"

"Whoa!"Kanan said, putting a hand on the Lasat's shoulder, "Easy there, Zeb. He is our guide, so it's probably best to do what he asks."

Merry shook his head as he stared at the marshes in disbelief, "But surely we can't go through here. Look at all those hungry midges! We won't last a day in there!"

Sabine shrugged and mused, "Well...if anybody brought bug spray, then _now_ would be the good time to bring it out."

Chopper grumbled, basically saying they were fresh out.

Kanan sighed, "I don't like the idea of going through here either." He then looked at Frodo, "But if Frodo's willing to go through there, then I'm willing to go through."

All eyes turned to the hobbit, waiting for a response. Frodo looked a little uncomfortable for suddenly being the center of attention. However, he looked over at the marshes in thought. Strider had stopped a good ways up ahead and looked back at them,  
waiting.

Frodo finally responded, "I think it is best to go through the marshes. I might not be very fond of it, but I fear those black riders more."

Kanan nodded and then looked at the rest of the crew, waiting for an answer. Everybody seemed hesitant, although Rex and Sabine had armor to protect them from getting bitten. Hera looked at the path with dread. The Twi'lek pilot could officially say that  
she was tired. She kind of didn't want to go through, but if it meant getting away from those things, then she was for it. So she nodded. Ezra and Zeb debated amongst each other about what they should do, and a few seconds later, they too finally  
nodded. Before long, the only one who was against the decision was Chopper, but the astromech's vote didn't really count because he was _always_ against everything.

Slightly grumbling amongst themselves, the group finally followed Strider into the swamps. A foul and sickening stench filled the air, and they realized its was coming from the bogs. The path through the marshes was very narrow, and sometimes they had  
to cross through the water. The midges seemed happy that they were in the swamps because they immediately began to swarm around them and tried to bite at them.

Kanan took no notice, and instead focused on following Strider. Frodo and Heradid the same. Unfortunately, the others were having more of a hard time. They were wacking their faces left and right, trying to get the bugs away from their flesh. At  
one point, Ezra tried to use the Force to blow some of the midges away, but instead accidentally force pushed Zeb into the water, which the bugs _really_ loved. Within the next few seconds, they were all over the Lasat, trying to dig into his  
skin and draw blood. Zeb growled furiously and wacked himself all over as he got up. Ezra sped up ahead, not really wanting to get punched in the face.

Sabine and Rex weren't too lucky, sadly. Because although the midges couldn't find any place along theirbody, there was one place they found that was vulnerable: the necks. The Mandalorian sighed irritably as she wopped bugs with her fists.

The marshes felt too warm and muggy. Kanan wished there was a place somewhere where they could get a cool drink, but he doubted Middle Earth had any cantinas. Definitely not out in the wild of all places. And Strider didn't look like he was going to stop  
anytime soon. Kanan had to admit that this ranger had a way with road. Curious indeed.

The poor hobbits seemed to be dealing with most of the torture. Merry and Pippin kept on sinking into the water and sometimes falling in it. The midges seemed to love them the most. Merry had tons of spots on his face as the day progressed, and it had  
put him in a sour mood.

"What do they eat when they can't get a hobbit?!" Merry grumbled.

"Lasats!" Zeb retorted, as he continued wacking himself.

Ezra thoughtdifferently. Considering how much of them had already been bitten, he figured these midges would love almost every species in the whole galaxy. Too bad the Empire wasn't here. Ezra would bereally be amused if this could happen  
to them.

Everybody was happy when night finally fell. The midges vanished, and there was a cool breeze to make up for the muggy weather. The group found a large part of the swamp where they could make camp. Sam and Merry started a fire while Strider walked off,  
looking for something to cook. In the meantime, the hobbits prepared what was left of the sausage, which unfortunately wasn't very much. They had to watch just how much they ate until the ranger came back.

Zeb jumped to the conclusion that Strider wasn't coming back, but only gotpeople snapping at him, telling him to be quiet. Rex scanned the marshes, setting his helmet to night vision. So far, he had seen no sign of the ranger, which made him wonder  
where exactly he had run off to.

"Well," the clone said with a shrug, "wherever he went, it must've been really far away. I can't see him anywhere."

Hera rose a brow as she ate a bit of sausage, "Our guide is a curious one." She looked around at the swamp, "He sure knows how to pick a path."

"Tell me about it," Sabine said, frowning at her surroundings, "I hope this swamp doesn't have anything _bigger_ than those midges."

Merry smirked, "With our luck, there probably will be. I wouldn't be surprised if that ranger leads us into a dragon's den!"

Frodo rolled his eyes, sitting up, "Oh don't be ridiculous. There hasn't been a dragon in these parts for a thousand years. Bilbo said so himself."

"I hope it stays that way," Ezra commented with a grin, "I think the last thing we need on top of those black riders is a dragon."

Frodo chuckled and took a drink of water, "I think that Smaug was probably the last dragon. But who knows. There may be anotherone out there."

"But it better be _far_ away," Zeb replied, yawning and eating.

Kanan just smiled and shook his head as he gazed up at the night sky, "If only it were that simple. Unfortunately, we can't control what happens and what doesn't happen."

"That seems to bethe only thing a Jedi _can't_ do," Rex mused with a smirk.

Kanan chuckled at him and lightly punched him in the shoulder. Sam looked down in thought for a second before setting his frying pan down and sitting next to the others.

"You know, Mr. Kanan," the hobbit frowned, "I've been thinking about what you said you were. A Jedi...am I right?"

Kanan nodded, "Yep, that's correct, Sam." He pointed at his apprentice, "And so is Ezra."

Pippin leaned forward, looking very curious. "What is a Jedi?"

Kanan and Ezra looked at each other, wondering how to explain this to the hobbits. With a smirk, the padawan decidedto do the explaining. Kanan just leaned back and listened.

"Well," Ezra said, smiling, "the Jedi were considered the guardians of peace and justice in the galaxymany years ago. In other words, we were warriors."

Pippin's eyes widened, "Warriors?!"

"Well.." Kanan interrupted with a chuckle, "that's not entirley true. We were more like keepers of the peace, not exactly soldiers."

"Yes, but don't we _fight_ to ensure peace, Kanan?" Ezra asked, smirking.

Hera, Sabine, and Zeb lightly chuckled at that, and gave Kanan an amused look. The Jedi just sighed and decided to shut up. He didn't want to admit that his apprentice was right, because he often asked those same questions himself.

Merry's eyes narrowed, "You said they 'were' keepers of the peace. What do you mean by that? Did they just...disappear?"

That got to Kanan, and immediately his smile vanished. He didn't really like to talk about the Jedi of old. It reminded him too much of the pain he had to endure at the end of the Clone Wars. He looked down at the ground, clenching his fist. Ezra wasn't  
born when that had happened, but just the sheer thought of what his master had to go through made him unsettled.

The hobbits glanced at each other confusedly, wondering if they had said something wrong.

Frodo spoke up, "Um, Kanan, if we said something that bothered you, we're-"

Kanan shook his head and held up his hand, "No, it's alright, Frodo." He then sighed, rubbing his eyes, "To answer your question, Merry, it was far worse than them just disappearing."

He had the hobbits'attention, and they listened intently. Although, judging by the look on the Jedi's face, they were beginning to wonder if they really wanted to know.

"For 3 years," Kanan continued, "the Jedi were distracted by the Clone Wars. We fought alongside soldiers that were loyal to a fold. We considered them special, and put our full trust in them. However, when the war was ending, it was revealed that the  
clones had been merely a weapon, created by the Jedi's' enemy, the Sith. When the Sith Lord, Darth Sideous, took full control of the Republic and transformed it into the Galactic Empire, he sent out an order to all clones across the galaxy, ordering  
them to execute their Jedi generals. They had no choice, because they had inhibiter chips inside them that made them do it. One by one, every single Jedi in that temple died."

The hobbits were speechless, completely horrified at what they heard. Sam leaned back against the bags, a bit pale. Both Merry and Pippin, began picking at the grass, trying to prevent themselves from shaking.

Frodo looked over at Rex and rose a brow, "But isn't he a clone?"

"Yes," Rex replied, but then pointed to a huge scar on the side of his head, "but I didn't betray anybody. I had my control chip removed, because I came to realize that I was being used." The clone then buried his face in his hands, "Many of those Jedi  
were my friends, and the thought of possibly betraying them,unwillingly, bothered me. I made a choice, unlike most of my brothers."

An awkward silence fell upon the whole group, even the crew of _the Ghost_. Hera, Sabine, and Zeb had heard many stories about the Jedi, but listening to Kanan and Rex going into full detail about what had transpired really got to them. They honestly  
hadn't realized how bad it must've been. So many Jedi, men, women, and children alike had been slaughtered. And for what? A government built on the Dark Side of the Force.

Just then, everybody jumped in alarm when they saw Strider standing behind them. He had listened to the whole entire thing. Nobody knew what to say to him, so they just looked at him. They noticed the ranger was holdinga huge deer across his shoulder.  
Without saying a word, Strider set the deer down and began to cut it to get some meat.

Some of the group looked like they wanted to throw up as they watched. Zeb turned away, covering his mouth with his hand. Sabine looked down at the ground and just traced her finger along the mud. Ezra laid down and just looked at the sky. And Chopper  
covered his eyes with small droid hands that came out from the sides of his domedhead.

However, when Sam started to cook it, they slowly began to forget about the butchering and for once enjoyed a good meal. The crew found deer meat to be rather interesting. The hobbits had related it to meat from a cow, but Ezra found it to taste differently.  
It was strange, but good.

It was getting close to midnight when the group finally got to bed. Strider stayed up, watching over the camp. Despite believing they were safe in the marshes, the ranger still considered the possibility that the Ringwraiths could somehow get into the  
swamp. He kept his sword close to him, and kept his eye on any small moving objects around them. Fortunately, they were nothing more than just deer and rabbits.

As it got later, the ranger began to sing a song to himself quietly, speaking in a strange tongue. It woke up Ezra and Frodo, but they didn't move for a while, and instead listened to the strange, but sweet toon. The padawan kind of thought it shocking  
that the ranger could sing, but also found the language interesting. It almost sounded like the Elvish stuff Frodo had told him about back in Bilbo's study.

Finally, both the apprentice and the hobbit sat up.

"That's beautiful," Ezra said quietly.

Strider twirled around and looked at them, not realizing they had been awake.

"I've never heard anything quite like that," the Jedi remarked.

The ranger looked between the two, but then seemed to relax.

Slowly, he nodded, "It is a very old song. The elves had taught it to me when I was raised in Rivendell."

Ezra rose a brow, "Wait. You were raised with the elves?"

Strider nodded, "My mother took me there to keep me safe. We were treated kindly by Lord Elrond and his people. As the years passed, we were considered family."

Ezra eyes the ranger with newfound interest. This guy seemed to be full of surprises. He had never expected a man of this nature would be raised with such beautiful creatures like the elves. Ezra tried to imagine what it must've been like, but he got  
nothing.

"Who is she?" Frodo asked, "This woman you sing of."

Strider looked down at the ground as he replied, "Tis the Lady of Luthien. The Elf-maiden who gave her love to Beren, a mortal."

Now that was interesting to Ezra. A female elf fell in love with a human? He had heard of such things before, back in his own galaxy, but he had never imagined something so beautiful as an elf falling in love with a normal man.

"What happened to her?" Frodo asked.

Strider paused for a moment before sighing. "She died."

Ezra rose a brow. That was a 'comforting' way to end the story.

Strider looked back at the both of them and kindly said, "Why don't you two get some sleep. If we are to leave the marshes, we must take off early again."

The Jedi and the hobbit nodded and laid down again, wrapping themselves up in their blankets. Ezra thought long and hard about all they had been through on this world. When he had first come here, he had thought of it as a beautiful place. Unfortunately,  
not everything about it was happy. There was also pain, sadness, and worst of all: Fear. And this time it wasn't the Empire that was doing it.

It was an ever growingdark force, seeking to destroy the world. 

* * *

Saruman the White walked into his throne room,followed by the mysterious maskedfigure. Without a second thought, the wizard removed the cloth on top of the stone table, revealing the palantir. Both men felt a dark matter moving fromwithin  
the stone.

The Great Eye wished to speak to them.

The masked figure knelt before the palantir, one hand pressed against his chest. Saruman placed his pale hand over the stone and began to chant a strange tone. It was a dark, evil speech. The figure noticed a small orange light forming from within the  
orb. The more the wizard changed, the bigger it became.

Before long, the figure could see the light taking form, becoming a huge fiery eye. He lowered his head in respect, feeling the dark presence of his master gazing upon him and the white wizard.

Finally, Saruman spoke, "The power of Isengard is at your command, Sauron, Lord of the Earth."

A dark, menacing voice filled their ears. One that slightly sent a chill down the masked figure's spine.

" _We grow in number_ ," Sauron said, " _We grow in strength. The aid of Isengard is what I need to begin the war against all of Middle-Earth._ " The Eye then focused on the figure, " _And with the aid of our associate, we will take all by surprise. They think they know what is to come. They know nothing! You shall lead my armies._ "  
It then looked back at Saruman, " _But first, we must make it stronger. Build me an army worthy of Mordor_."

They knew what they had to do. The figure knew that it had officially begun. The war was coming, and there was nobody that could stop it. Saruman had pledged his loyalty to Mordor, and now the board was starting to beset. But now they had to get  
the pieces ready to move.

After covering the palantir up again, Saruman summoned a great host of Orcs to the throne room. The masked figure eyes them with disgust. These creatures of darkness were the most sickening sight he had ever seen. There were big ones, small ones, _fat_ ones.  
He even thought one of them was missing an eye. Their skin was a sickly green, blue, and pale.

One of the Orcs, a green skinned one, stepped forward and hissed, "What orders from Mordor, my lord? What does the Eye command?"

Saruman eyed each one of them, and replied, "We have work to do."

Within the next 10 minutes, the beautiful trees surrounding the Tower of Orthanc were being torn down. Orcs were chopping at the roots and wrapping ropes around the trunks. With a great heave, several were pulled down almost at once. They shredded the  
leaves and hacked at the branches, making them into firewood.

Saruman and the masked figure watched as Isengard slowly started to become a deadwasteland. The white wizard seemed careless at seeing the trees that had surrounded his home for thousands of years being torn apart. It was the will of Sauron, and  
he'd comply, no matter what the cost was.

The figure crossed his arms over his chest, and did not say a word as the processcontinued. A strange moan filled the air, but he didn't know where it came from. It sounded almost sad and hurt. But he could care less.

The Orcs destroyed everything with pleasure, going so far as to chop the trunks into many pieces. They then picked up as many branches as they could carry and took them down underground into the pit, where weapons were slowly starting to be built.

On the top of Orthanc, Gandalf the Grey woke up from unconsciousness and stood up. He gazed down at the land and watched helplessly as the once beautiful Isengard turned into a dead piece of land. Fires were being started from within the pits, thanks  
to the newly chopped firewood.

Meanwhile, down on the ground, an Orc overseeing the chopping of the trees approached Saruman and bowed.

"The trees are strong, my lord," he explained, "Their roots go deep."

Saruman snarled, "Rip them all down!"

The Orc nodded, returning to the others and shouting orders to keep at it. Behind the metalmask, the mysterious figure frowned.

"Disappointing," he said in a low, disguised voice, "I was just starting to get used to the beautiful nature of this place."

Saruman looked at him with a raised brow, "It is the will of the Great Eye. Do you question his methods?"

The figure shook his head, "Of course not." He then looked at the wizard, "However, I do question yours."

Saruman looked at him, confused, "What do you mean?!"

The figure simply shrugged, "I was under the impression that your alliance with Mordor was to be kept secret from the White Council. If they discovered your betrayal, that'd be...unfortunate."

"And the Council won't know," Saruman replied assuringly, pointing up at the Tower, "We will see to it that our only witness will _die_."

"Witness, you say?" the figure said with a chuckle, "Why eliminate him when he could be a valuable asset to us?"

The white wizard glared at him, "Wereyou not with me when Gandalf rejected our offer?! His loyalty is to the White Council, not Mordor!"

The figure eyed him disappointedly and tilted his head, "All I saw was the grey beard saying one thing, and then you attacking him, not even giving him a chance to consider joining us." He put his hands behind his back, "We need all the allies we can  
get in the coming war. If _you_ were able to join the Eye, then why wouldn't _he_ do the same?"

Saruman sneered at his companion, "What do you mean by 'we'?! What do you know of the war?! You've only been in league with Mordor for 4 years!"

"Indeed," the figure nodded, "Me,along with many other lost souls, were saved by the Great Eye. He gave us a purpose again. We believed ourselves to be discarded and forgotten. But now that is no more."

Saruman didn't respond and just watched as the rest of Isengard was being ripped apart. This associate of theirs was a mysterious one. He didn't know how he came into service of the Great Eye, but the dark lord seemed to trust him. The wizard supposed  
that meant he had to trust him too.

Saruman just shook his head, "If you wish to seek Gandalf's loyalty, then by all means do so."

The figure looked back at the destruction and grinned menacingly behind his mask, "Yes, I shall."

Suddenly, a huge massive tree began to fall down, and landed on top of an Orc's leg, breaking his bone. He let out a huge yelpof pain and collapsed to the ground, clutching his trapped leg. Judging by the size of the tree, it didn't look like the  
Orc would be able to walk anytime soon.

Without warning, the mysterious figure stepped forward and jerked his fingers, instantly snapping the Orc's neck, killing him. Nearby Orcs looked down at their fallen companion and then looked up at the figure in alarm. Even Saruman looked at him in shock.

"In a war, weakness cannot be tolerated," the figure simply replied. He then looked at the two Orcs and pointed at the tree trunk, "Get that down to the pits at once!"

The Orcs didn't need to be told twice, and hastily grabbed the trunk, lifting it up with all their might and carrying it down. They didn't want to suffer the same fate as their fallen companion. The figure watched the remainder of the process, pleased  
with the results.

All life in Isengard was fading, and the darkness of Mordor was taking its place.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 17: Attack on Weathertop**  
 **  
**

 ****

A few days had passed since the group had finally left the Midgewater Marshes, and they were very happy indeed. The muggy weather turned into cooler weather, and everything was drip dry compared to the muddy ground from the swamp. Zeb, whose feet were  
extremely muddy from the swamp, had the audacity to rub them against the dry smooth grass until they were mud-free. The hobbits did the same thing.

Hera thought they'd never get away from all those midges, and she was glad to not feel them biting at her skin. And whatever bites she did have, she tried to sooth itby pouring water on them. It didn't exactly help out as much, but it was slightly  
effective. _The Ghost_ had the proper medicine, but unfortunately her ship was nowhere near them. Deep down, Hera had wished that there was some way they could've brought her ship. Although, come to think of it, those black riders would've been  
able to track them more easily.

The Twi'lek pilot was up ahead with Strider. Everybody else was lagging behind, tired and grumpy from their experience in the marshes. Plus, the ranger kept getting them up before the crack of dawn to get moving. However, they soon stumbled upon a stream,  
which immediately perked them up.

"Hey!" Zeb called up to Strider, "There's a stream over there. Can we please take a short rest and refresh ourselves?"

They all looked at the ranger, hopefully.

Strider frowned and shook his head, "We must not stop. There's no telling where the enemy could be."'

That disappointed them. Hera, though, looked down in thought, and before Strider moved forward again, she stopped him with her hand.

"With all due respect, Strider," the Twi'lek said insistingly, "everybody's worn out. We've kinda been on the move almost everyday." She pointed at the stream, "Please? Just a little break?"

Strider looked at her, and then looked at the others. He could see them giving him a pleading look. He had to admit, they had been going nonstop for almost two weeks now.

The ranger sighed, "Alright, but not a long break."

"Yes!" Ezra whispered with relief.

Zeb rubbed his hands together excitedly, "Oh, let me at that water!"

The padawan and the Lasat ran to the stream, slowly followed by the others. Only Strider,Hera, and Chopperstayed where they were, watching them. Sabine and Rex took off their helmets, knelt down, and splashed water against their dry faces.  
Zeb and Ezra scooped up water with their hands and gulped every drop. The hobbits put their tires feet into it and exhaled with pleasure as the cool water went against them. Kanan, acting more civilized as many Jedi do, took out a mug from one of  
the backpacks and scooped some water into it.

Hera just chuckled and shook her head in disbelief, "All this time, and I've never seen them so tired and desperate."

Strider looked at her and rose a brow as he sat down on a nearby rock, "From what Gandalf's told me, I thought you and your crew would be more used to journeys like this."

"We've been on longer journeys," Hera commented with a shrug, sitting on a rock next to him, "except those involved more flying and less walking."

Strider nodded, except he seemed a bit baffled all of a sudden, "Gandalf had told me that you had a flying ship. I didn't think that was possible, honestly."

Hera smirked, "From where we come from, it's _very_ possible. Here, not so much."

"Interesting," Strider mused. He then commented, "And here I thought that Middle Earth was all there is."

"That's actually kind of true," Hera replied with a frown, "because according to all our maps, there's no sign of Middle Earth on them, and I don't know why."

Strider's brow furrowed at the mention of that, but he didn't bother to comment on it. The two of them just watched as the others got some more color into them from drinking the water. They looked a little less pale to Hera.

Strider eyed Kanan curiously. He had heard the whole entire story about his people, and it honestly sounded to dreadful to be true. However, the look in the Jedi's eye confirmed for the ranger that the tale was absolutely true. He could never imagine  
something so awful befalling those innocent people.

The ranger then looked at Hera and tilted his head, "If I may, my lady, what is your species again?"

"I'm a Twi'lek," Hera replied simply, "My home planet is a system called Ryloth. We are definitely _not_ a rare people in the galaxy." She then pointed all around her, "Although I've been receiving a ton of weird glances ever since we got here."

Strider gave a light smile and shrugged, "Some people are fascinated with people they haven't seen before. It's nothing to feel ashamed of, my lady." He then placed a hand on her shoulder, "You're people are a strange species, but you're still a person.  
In fact, I'd say that you resemble a beauty similar to that of the elves."

Hera looked at the ranger with surprise. Did he just give her a compliment?! She didn't know whether to be flattered or not. For once, there was somebody other than Frodo or Gandalf that didn't think Twi'leks as strange.

"Um," she stuttered, "thank you."

Neither one of them was able to say anything else as the others finally came up from the stream, looking refreshed and full of energy once again.

Zeb stretched, "Well, let's get moving, guide. Before you get us all worn out again."

"Zeb!" Sabine hissed at the Lasat.

Strider smiled sympathetically and stood up, "Do not worry, Captain Orrilious. We are not too far from our stopping point. It's only a couple more miles."

And thus they set off again. The ranger soon led them across a wide open area surrounded mostly by rocks. Dusk was slowly beginning to fall upon the horizon.

"A couple more miles, he said," Zeb whispered to Ezra, rolling his eyes.

Ezra glared at him, "Oh will you lighten up, Zeb?!"

"What?" the Lasat asked, trying to act innocent, "I'm dead tired."

"You heard the man," Kanan snapped, "We're almost to a stopping point. Once we stop, you can rest to your heart's content."

Nobody complained as much for the rest of the day. They needed the break, and they were very glad to have drank as much as they did. The crew of _the Ghost_ found the water as strangely addicting as the ale, except better. It quenched their dry mouths,  
that's for sure.

Strider led them over a couple hills, stopping often to make sure there was no sign of the black riders. They were fortunate to have not seen any since they left the village of Bree. Hopefully, it's stay that way until they got to this Rivendell place.  
Hera was actually very curious to see the elves up close. She had flown across the galaxy for so many years, but when she had seen those wood elves the other night, she realized that she had never seen such beautiful creatures up to this point. Hera  
was also very interested to see how they lived.

Ezra had told her a couple days ago of how Strider had been raised in Rivendell with his mother. She wondered what that must've been like. She imagined it to be precious and very rememberable. However, the ranger hadn't bothered to talk about his past  
throughout the whole journey.

Before long, Strider stopped in his tracks. Everybody followed his gaze and found him staring at a smallabandoned tower of some sort. Hera could tell that it must've suffered through many wars to have come out like this. The roof was missing as  
well as other parts of the tower.

"This was the great watchtower of Amon Sul," Strider explained, looking back at the group, "We shall rest here tonight."

That was good news indeed to everybody. Merry and Pippin sped walked up the stairway, eager to set their bags down and collapse onto the ground. However, the two hobbits found the tower to be higher than they thought, and began to slow down a bit, losing  
some of their energy. Strider advised them that it'd probably be best if they stayed with the group.

Finally, however, they found an open area right in the middle of the tower. The ranger inspected it closely abs finally nodded, satisfied. Everybody was more than happy to drop all if their stuff and drop to the ground. Another long day in the middle  
of nowhere, and with riders hunting them. Days like these were _never_ better, in their minds.

They watched as the sun was setting on the horizon. It barely peeked over the mountains. Hera estimated it was probably sometime after 8:00, which was quite early considering how late they had stopped the previous nights. Why they had stopped for the  
night at this watchtower, the Twi'lek had no clue.

Even Strider seemed to be a bit weary andsat himself down, watching the land before them. They all gazed upon it as well. They were shocked to realize that they had come a long way. They were nowhere near the borders of the Shire, which the crew  
and the hobbits found rather weird. Frodo had always dreamed of leaving the Shire, going off with Bilbo on one of his adventures. However, the more he thought about it, the more the young hobbit started to miss Bag End.

Most of _the Ghost_ crew missed Bag End too, because they were sick and tired of laying on the ground everyday. That's all that had done the whole way to Bree, and then the whole way to this Rivendell. A nice warm mattress and blankets would be very  
well appreciated. Chopper, on the other hand, didn't seemed to care and just beeped and grumbled back and forth, sometimes insulting Ezra and Zeb for no reason.

Rex and Kanan looked at the structure of the watchtower, seeming very fascinated at how it was still standing after taking a beating. The stone texture was just...remarkable. Even Sabine seemed to admire the stone artwork along the walls: The statues,  
the pillars, etc. When it came to art, the Mandalorian was a great expert on that. However, Sabine figured it could use a paint job. Despite Hera's protests, she starting spraying a walk with one of her cans.

Merry, Pippin, and Sam watched with complex fascination as she began to make drawings along the stone. How in the world could she draw something and put color on it at the same time?! It was almost like magic, in the hobbits eyes. Sabine noticed they  
were watching her, and decided just to show off. That received a groan from Hera and Kanan, who were rolling their eyes.

Strider too seemed interested the Mandalorian's art, but decidednot to ask any questions, and instead just watched her do her work. Ezra and Zeb, who had seen Sabine painting several times, grew bored and just began dropping small rocks off the  
edge of the tower, though they had no idea why.

Finally, after a half hour of rest, Strider stood up. He then walked over, reached into a bag, and filled out a big leather garment holding several blades. He set them down for the group to see.

"These are for you," he said to everybody, except Ezra, Kanan, and Zeb, "Keep them close."

The hobbits took the swords and stared at them in wonder. Rex, Hera, and Sabine examined their swordsclosely, frowning.

Sabine shook her head, holding out the blade to Strider, "Thanks, but no thanks. I won't be needing this."

Strider frowned at her and rose a brow, "Just because you posses weapons of great power doesn't mean that they will always save you, Sabine. Wielding a sword could be beneficial to a warrior such as yourself."

Sabine looked at the ranger, and then at the sword. For some reason, she wanted to keep it. Deep down, she had been wanting to weild something for a long time. She twirled it a couple times, studying its weight and speed, looking very impressed.

Rex looked at the blade for a couple minutes and then shook his head, "Nah, I'm good with my twin blasters. I've never reallybeen fond of using swords."

"Same here," Hera added, putting down her sword along with the clone.

Strider looked at them and then sighed, "Very well. It is as you wish." He then began walking down the stairs of the tower, but looked back at them, "I'm going to have a look around. Stay here."

"Wait," Kanan said, standing up, "I'll come with you. You could probably use some help."

Rex nodded in agreement, putting his helmet on, "I canbe ofassistance too. Beats staying here, doing nothing."

Strider rose a brow, but then nodded. Company would honestly be very helpful. He signaledfor the Jedi and the clone to follow him, and then descended down the stairs. Kanan and Rex immediately followed.

In the meantime, the rest of the group got themselves settled and just talked amongst themselves. The hobbits didn't put down their blades for a long time and just stared at them in awe. Zeb didn't see what was so impressive about them. In his mind, his  
bo-rifle was a sight to behold. Ezra begged to differ though, claiming his lightsaber was by far the best weapon in the galaxy.

The hobbits then watched withamusement as the Jedi and the Lasat got into a pointless argument over weapons. Hera just frowned disappointedly at them and shook her head. Sabine looked almost annoyed by the constant arguments between the  
was no help at all because he rolled up to themand electrocuted them with his zapper. A tense chase occurred right after that, as Zeb and Ezra pursued the droid up higher into the tower. Merry and Pippin were on the verge of laughing, but did  
their best to hold it in. Frodo and Sam just smiled amusingly and shook their heads.

Eventually, everything became calm again, and the group decided to get some shuteye. However,Sam, Merry, and Pippin decided to stay up, claiming that they didn't feel sleepy yet. Theothers didn't really care, because _they_ were definitely  
exhausted.

Hera put a new power chip into Chopper, because the first one he had thiswhole time had finally died down. She then shut down her droid before making a little bed for herself.

Slowly, each one of them drifted to sleep. 

* * *

It happened again. The exact same dream that Ezra had the last two times happened yet again. He didn't know why this kept happening, but the more times he had these dreams, the worst they seemed to get. The young Jedi tried with all his might to wake  
up, but the vision seemed to be in full control of his mind. The same exact events occurred. Ezra tried to look away from the fiery eye, but it seemed to have him in a trance where he couldn't move. He watched helplessly as the flames engulfed his  
skin. He then heard himself screaming, pleading to make it stop.

Immediately after that, Ezra's eyes popped open. To his surprise, he wasn't gasping for breath like the last couple times. He just felt like he had woken up from a nightmare. A few seconds later, he felt relaxed and tried to get some more sleep. However,  
Ezra once again opened his eyes, with confusion written all over his face. He thought he heard a small crackling sound. And it was coming from behind him.

He turned around and his eyes instantly went wide. He found thatMerry, Pippin, and Sam had built a bright fire, and we're cooking stuff over it. Frodo apparently had heard the exact same thing because he too sat up and looked at him. Alarm was written  
all over his face.

"What're you doing?!" Frodo demanded.

That immediately made the rest of the crew jerk awake and sit up. A couple of them were at first irritated, but when they saw the fire, their eyes widened.

Merry looked up and smiled at them, "Tomatoes, sausages, and nice crispy bacon."

"We saved some for all of you," Sam added, pointing to the plates on the ground.

Frodo hurriedly got up, ran over to the fire, and started stomping on it. The crew of _the Ghost_ immediately jumped to their feet and ran over to help him.

"Put it out you fools!" Frodo shrieked at them, "Put it out!"

"Oh that's nice," Pippin exclaimed irritably, "Ash on my tomatoes!"

The fire wasn't going out very fast, and everybody was panicking. However, without warning, Zeb rose his huge foot and stomped on the fire several times until it was finally out and everything was dark once again. Frodo placed his hand on his forehead  
and pressed it against the wall of the tower. The crew exhaled, still shaken up, but relieved.

"What were you three thinking?!" Sabine demanded.

Merry shook his head, both speechless and confused, "We were just cooking food!"

"And it looked _really_ good," Pippin added, before annoyingly pointing at the Lasat, "until big bone over here destroyed everything."

Zeb just stared at the hobbits in disbelief, and then growled angrily, "Karabast, can'tyou guys do anything right?! We're not on some picnic here! You made a fire on high ground, and in case you forgot, we're still being hunted by-"

Suddenly, before he could finish, a loud horrifying shriek filled their ears. At that moment, everybody's hearts stopped and they froze. The air had become completely still around them, and Ezra all of a suddenfelt a disturbance in the Force. Slowly,  
everybody looked down below at the bottom of the tower. They were hoping beyond hope that they weren't going to see what they were afraid of seeing.

Unfortunately, their fears were proven correct.

Down below, emerging from a thick layer of fog, were five black riders. And they were heading straight for the tower. Ezra knew right then and there that they had spotted the fire, and knew they were up here. He groaned. Why did Strider, Kanan, and Rex  
have to be gone when these guys showed up?! How were they going to fend them off?!

"Okay," Zeb said fearfully, grabbing his bo-rifle, "anybody got any bright ideas? I'mopen to suggestions."

Frodo drew out his sword and then pointed at stairs leading to the top of the tower, " _Go_!"

Not bothering to think twice, everybody made a run for it. They charged up the stairs as quickly as they could. Chopper used his rockets to fly to the top of the tower. They found the top to not be as far away as they had thought.

As soon as they set foot on the top, they were all back to back. The crew of _the Ghost_ made a barricade around the hobbit. Hera and Zeb had their blasters ready, waiting to shoot anything emerging from the shadows. Sabine drew her sword, hoping  
that it would serve her well. Now it was time to put her Mandalorian skills to good use. Ezra ignited his lightsaber, shining it all around, just in case the enemy was here.

For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence. None of them moved a muscle and stayed in their fighting stances. Chopper moved his dome head around and grumbled something quietly. Ezra didn't hear what the droid said because he was busyfearingfor  
his life at the moment.

Where were they?

Frodo had a strange feeling in his heart. The hobbit regretfully looked over at a pair of pillars. His blood froze when he saw a black rider finally emerge from the darkness. Nobody else saw it yet except for the hobbit. The rider drew out a long black  
sword and held it up in front of his face. Then, he slowly began to walk forward, his metal boot crunching against the stone floor.

Everybody turned and stared horrificallyas the other four riders emerged, swords already drawn. _The Ghost_ crew stood in front of the hobbits, pointing their weapons at the approaching enemy. The riders didn't look scared at all by their weapons,  
and instead slowly pointed their black blades at the group. Everybody began slowly backing away, waiting for the right time to attack.

"Hera..." Ezra said,panicking.

The Twi'lek pilot glared at the riders and clicked her blaster, ready to shoot, "Keep away! I'm warning you! If you come any closer, we'll open fire!"

The riders didn't respond, and kept slowly walking forward.

Zeb gulped, "Um, they're not listening..."

Hera tightened her grip on her blaster and yelled angrily, "I said back away!"

Still, the riders did not yield. Ezra could see that Hera didn't know what else to do. Honestly, he didn't know what to do either. Where was Kanan when he needed him?!

Suddenly, Sam pushed past the group and charged at the riders, "Back you devils!"

"Sam, wait!" Sabine shouted.

However, her yells were pointless. Sam angrily clashed his sword with one of the Nazgul's. They fought for merleya few seconds before the rider rose his metal fist, and punched the hobbit out of his way. Sam went flying and hit his head against  
one of the pillars, instantly going unconscious.

Then the fight began. The crew chargedat the riders. Hera fired her blaster and purposely missed. Even thoughthey had not been threatened by the look of the weapons, the riders flinched in fear at hearing it's loud sound. Zeb turned his bo-rifle  
into a shock stick and engaged two of the riders. The Lasat wacked one against the head while clashing with the other's sword. He snarled, trying to shock one of them with electricity. However, the riders were quick, and evaded most of Zeb's blows.  
Sabine clashed her own blade with another one, trying to remember all of her Mandalorian skills from the Imperial Academy. So far, she was holding her own. Ezra engaged the fifth one, who seemed to be more experienced in fighting compared to the other  
for. However, with one swing of his lightsaber, Ezra broke the Nazgul's blade in half. His foe did not stop though, and swung his broken blade at the padawan several times, attempting to behead him.

Ezra dodged every blow, and then force pushed the rider against a pillar. He then saw a pile of rocks and used the Force to lift them up and launch them at the enemy. As every rock hit him, the rider hissed angrily. When Ezra was out of rocks, his foe  
then launched himself at him again and attempted to stab him. The Jedi jumped, his heel barley missing the blade.

Ezra then used the Force and pulled the blade from the rider's hand, sending it off the edge of the tower. He then tightened his grip on his lightsaber. It was time to make the killing blow. Sure, these things couldn't be killed by blasters, but Ezra  
was sure that they wouldn't be able to handle the cut of a lightsaber. With a great heave, he stabbed his blade right through the rider's chest. As expected, the rider shrieked out in pain, but so did Ezra. The padawan suddenly clutched his right  
arm, dropping his lightsaber. An intense pain had gone through said arm, and it hurt unlike anything Ezra had ever felt before. He fell to the ground, screaming in agony.

Hera looked over at him in worry, "Ezra!"

However, that gave another Ringwraith the opportunity to punch the Twi'lek, knocking her unconscious. The twoother riders managed to surprisingly overpower Zeb, and knocked him out with the blunt of their blades. Sabine's opponent gained the upper  
hand and punched her in the side, making the Mandalorian crumple to the ground. Chopper hid behind two pillars, too cowardly to engage these things.

With the crew of _the Ghost_ injured, the riders turned their attention to the three remaining hobbits. Merry and Pippin stood in a fighting position, but were immediately seized by two riders. Frodo, knowing he couldn't fight them alone, dropped  
his blade in fear and fell to the ground. An idea suddenly came into the hobbit's head. He had a sudden urge to take out the ring and make himself invisible. When he did so, the rider that had recovered from Ezra's stab looked over at him. He then  
removed from his cloak a small dagger. Frodo, without hesitating, slipped on the ring. Instantly, everything became a blur, but to the hobbit's horror, he found that the riders could still see him. But they were no longer wearing black cloaks. Frodo  
could see men. Great kings by the look of them. He saw the one with the dagger try to reach out his hand and take the ring from Frodo's finger. However, the hobbit didn't want to give it up and pulled his hand away.

The rider then made a slight hiss, and then suddenly stabbed his blade into Frodo's shoulder. The hobbit screamed, feeling the cool sharp steel digging into his skin.

Before the riders could do anything else, however, they heard a great shout come from behind them. They turned to see Strider, who was holding a torch, charging straight towards them. Kanan and Rex were behind him. The Jedi Knight had his lightsaber ignited  
and the clone was firing his blasters at the enemy. The wraiths turned their attention away from Frodo and engaged the newcomers.

However, the others finally woke up from unconsciousness. Hera, Zeb, Sabine, Sam, Merry, and Pippin jumped to their feet anddodged out of the way as Strider swung his torch at the riders. Meanwhile, Frodo managed to get the dagger out of him, and  
then painfully pulled the ring off.

Sam saw him and quickly rushed over to him, "Frodo!"

"Sam," Frodo cried out, "It hurts."

The crew began to once again open fire on the riders. Even though some of the bolts hit them and they let out deafening shrieks, they paid no mind to it. They were determined to drive these things away. Kanan swung his lightsaber, breaking several swords.  
The wraiths just stared at them inshock, not knowing what to do.

"Suck laser, you freaks!" Rex shouted.

The riders were being overwhelmed. Their heads constantly turned towards Strider and they seemed to panick whenever the torch went near them. Hera saw this, and it gave her an idea. She realized that these things were afraid of fire! And there was only  
one good way that they could scare them off.

"Chopper!" she shouted, "Pour oil now!"

The astromech reluctantly did as he was told. He activated his rockets and flew in circles around the wraiths. Chopper then opened up one of his compartments, and oil immediately spilled out, covering the enemy and some of the floor. When Hera saw that  
there was enough oil about the riders, she grabbed Strider's torch from his hand and dropped it onto the oil. Instantly, a majority of the top of the tower went up in flame and engulfed the Ringwraiths. They shrieked in pain and fear and began to  
flee off the tower, their cloaks burning bright.

However, there was only one wraith left. That one was Strider's. The ranger took the torch back and threw it straight into the rider's face. It fled along with the rest of the four.

Victory was theirs.

Sam turned to the ranger and called out, "Strider!"

Strider turned and immediately rushed up to Frodo, kneeling beside him. Kanan looked over and saw Ezra, clutching his arm in agony.

"Oh no," the Jedi exclaimed, rushing over to his apprentice, "Ezra?! No no no no! Ezra, can you hear me?!"

"Kanan," Ezra stuttered in pain, "It feels horrible. I can't feel my arm."

Strider examined Frodo's shoulder, deep dread and worry on his face. He then looked down and saw the dagger that had stabbed the hobbit. He gritted his teeth as he seized it.

"Help him, Strider!" Sam begged, tears rolling down his cheeks.

The blade suddenly vanished, leaving nothing but the handle.

Strider dropped it and sighed worriedly, "He's been stabbed by a Morgal blade."

The ranger then walked over and knelt beside Ezra. The padawan was on the verge of going unconscious, and Kanan was begging him to stay awake. Strider looked at Ezra's arm and frowned when he saw the skin had become a blackish blueishcolor.

"I-I don't know what happened!" Zeb exclaimed, "He just stabbed that thing!"

Strider slapped his hand against his forehead and muttered something under his breath. "He shouldn't have done that. If you stab a Nazgul, it has a dangerous effecton you!"

Ezra was shivering violently, his lips slightly turning blue as if he was cold. He was trying to say something, but no words were coming out of his mouth. Strider looked at both the Jedi and the hobbit.

"This is beyond my skill to heal," the ranger explained, picking up Frodo, "They need elvish medicine."

Kanan nodded, and ordered Zeb to carry Ezra. The Lasat obeyed without question and slung his friend over his shoulder. They all rushed off the tower and back into the forest. Strider led the way with his torch. The others were on high alert, as they could  
hear the riders' screeches all around them. Ezra tried his best to stay awake, but the pain along his arm seemed to be growing, and it was unbearable.

Kanan looked at his padawan, worried out of his mind. The whole crew was worried, and they were hoping to find help fast.

"Hurry!" Strider yelled to them.

"But we're 6 days from Rivendell!" Sam said hopelessly, "They'll never make it!"

Kanan refused to believe it. They _had_ to make it. He wasn't going to let Ezra suffer like this. Yes, he made a bad move to stab that rider, but he didn't deserve this suffering. And neither did Frodo. Both the padawan and the hobbit didn't look  
good at all. They were growing paler by the minute.

Suddenly, Frodo moaned, "Gandalf!"

Kanan felt the exact same way. He wished the wizard was here right now, because they were in deep trouble. And if they didn't get help soon, the group would be short of two people. 


	19. Chapter 19

**I just wanted to thank you guys again for your suggestions. :) They are actually helping me out a lot through this story, and I hope you guys are enjoying reading it. :) Here's chapter 18. :)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 **Chapter 18: Skirmish with the Tenth Rider**

 ****

When a wizard was not in possession of his source of power, he was weak. That's how Gandalf the Grey was feeling as he sat helplessly on the top of the tower of Orthanc. He was bruised, beaten, and _weak_. Henever thought that he'd be betrayed  
by another wizard, especialły when itwas the leader of his order!

Gandalf had come to Isengard to seek help, not to see his dear friend fall into darkness and align with Mordor. Saruman the Wise had become Saruman the Madman. Middle Earth had seemed to have lost hope since Sauron's confirmed return. They saw no victory  
in the coming war.

Gandalf didn't even know what this war held for them. Not only did the Dark Lord have Saruman on his side, but also a mysterious figure with powers that he had never seen before in his life. Who was he?! Where did he come from?! How long had he been in  
league with the enemy?! So many question, hardly any answers.

Then another thought came into his mind. What if...this figure had come from where Kanan Jarrus and his crew had come from? Was he from beyond the stars too? Gandalf kind of doubted it, but there were many surprises happening these days. The betrayal  
of the White wizard had been one of them.

Gandalf painfully moved his head and gazed down at the once great land of Isengard. It was _dead_. Completely dead! What had Saruman done?! Everything that had once lived and had shown great beauty to this land...was gone. There were no trees. There  
was no grass. It was all just dead. When Gandalf looked at it, it reminded him of the Land of Mordor. This was now Sauron's domain, and there was nothing he nor the White Council could do to change that.

He could see large fires glowing bright in the pits beneath the ground of Isengard. Gandalf did not have to guess what was happening, because he already knew what was happening. Saruman had become the Dark Lord's puppet, and was now building weapons and  
armor for his army of Orcs.

However, as all of these dreadful things were happening, the wizard did catch something out of the corner of his eye. He was surprised to find a lone moth fluttering about as if nothing was wrong. Gandalf lightly smiled, and as the moth flew closer, he  
seized it with his hand. Gently, the wizard thn whispered something in Elvish to it. The moth seemed to listen, and once he had finished, it flew off.

Gandalf leaned back against one of the tower's pillars with relief. He would not be a prisoner in Isengard for much longer. Suddenly, the wizard heard other footsteps walking about on the tower. He turned his head, and saw the mysterious masked figure  
standing there, a plate and cup in his hands. He frowned when the figure set them down next to him.

"You've been starving for a long time now," the figure said, with an unrecognizable voice, "I figured that you could use something to regain your strength."

Gandalf just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "If you think me foolish enough to eat and drink poison, then I'm afraid you're mistaken."

The figure chuckled, patting something unseen behind the waist of his armor. "This is not a poisoning, grey beard. If I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't bother with poison."

Gandalf just glared at him and pushed the food and drink away, "You can tell Saruman that I want nothing ofhis! I will not eat the food from a traitor."

The figure crossed his arms and tilted his head. "Traitor? And just what makes you think he's a traitor?"

"I have no will to discuss this with you!' Gandalf snapped, painfully standing up so that he was at eye level, "You know perfectly well what I mean. Sauron is an enemy to all of Middle Earth. And if Saruman is mad enough to join him, then I will have  
no part ofit!"

"And that makes him a traitor?" the figure questioned, "How do you know that it is not _Middle Earth_ that is the traitor? How do you know the Dark Lord is the bad and you're the good?"

Gandalf pointed at the fiery pits down below, "Because of that! Sauron seeks to destroy everything that is green and good in this world. He wants to enslave all of the free peoples of Middle Earth." He then shook his head angrily, "Is that not explanation  
enough?!"

The figure shrugged and began to walk around the wizard, "More like assumption. You believe that the so called 'free peoples' deserve peace and freedom. How wrong you are, grey beard." He then put his face close to the wizard's, " _Freedom_ is life's  
great lie. Believe me,I learned that the hard way."

Gandalf thought he could make out eyes behind the mask. Yellow piercing eyes that made him feel uncomfortable. What kind of a man was he? There was darkness in could feel it. This being had lies and deceit written all over him. He just  
wished he could see his face. The disembodied voice was unsettling enough, but what did the rest of him look like?

Gandalf's jaw tightened. "What do you want?" he demanded.

"I thought you'd never ask," the figure commented, putting his hands behind his back, "There is no need for you and the White wizard to be enemies. I, for one, believe him to be correct. Joining with the Dark Lord is a wise decision. Think of the power  
you can gain! War is coming, whether you like it or not, and your White Council can't do anything about it. They, along with anyone else who dare to oppose my lord, will _fall_. Saruman has been promised to rule alongside the Dark Lord. And you  
can too."

Gandalf glowered at the man in disbelief, "You wish for me to join you."

"Of course," the figure nodded eagerly, "Imagine, _two_ wizards, fighting side by side with the Dark Lord! You can create a new world. A _better_ world."

"A world of death and slavery is how I see it!" Gandalf snapped, "And you claim for it to be in my best interests, but that's what you're supposed to say,isn't it? You care not for Middle Earth, or Saruman, or myself. You come from Mordor! You're  
only doing your master's will!"

The figure didn't respond to that remark and just stared cooly at the wizard. A long unnatural silence fell across the top of the tower. Gandalf wondered what the man's next move would be, but he honestly didn't want to find out.

The figure then looked down to the ground and sighed, circling around him. Gandalf remained as still as a statue, his eyes following the man's back. The figure shook his head disappointedly. He then turned and faced the wizard.

"I'd like to show you something," he simply replied.

Gandalf watched as the figure took out something from within his armor. It was a small flat circle with strange looking designs along the side of it. He rose his brow, wondering why exactly he was being shown this object.

The figure clicked something onthe side of the circle, and suddenly, to Gandalf's bewilderment, a blue flickering light appeared on top of it. The wizard watched as shapes began to form in this blue light. He leaned in closer to get a better look  
and realized that they were in the shape of figures. Wait. No, not figures. Were those...Orcs?! Yes, they were. Gandalf recognized their sickly look anywhere.

In the blue image, they seemed to be digging into some mud, which seemed a bit odd. Then, out of the corner of the image, Gandalf saw another figure approach the Orcs. It was Saruman.

"It's called a hologram," the figure explained, "What you're seeing right now is actually happening at this moment down in the pits."

Gandalf didn't say anything, and just kept his eyes on the image. They narrowed when he saw the Orcs clawing at the mud, as if they were making something. What exactly were they trying to make? However, Gandalf'squestion was immediatelyanswered  
when he saw the mud was moving! At first, it was wiggling around, but then a long straight piece stuck out. The wizard's eyes widened when he realized it was an arm.

Then, a rather large muscular body emerged from the mud, and it was roaring furiously. The Orc that had dug the thing out, fell to the ground dead after being choked by it. Gandalf saw that this thing had feigns and looked like an Orc, of sorts. But the  
more the image cleared, the more he could tell that this was no normal Orc.

"Rather beautiful, wouldn't you say?" the figure mused, watching the hologram as well, "If I read correctly, I believe that this thing is a mixture of Orc and Goblin. Uruk-hai, I think they're called? Yes, that's right. Your White Council loves the creation  
of life. That is exactly what Saruman and the Dark Lord are trying to create. _Life_."

Gandalf shook his head, "That is no life. It's an abomination created by pure evil!"

The figure deactivated the hologram and then looked at him, "What's it going to be, grey beard? Allies...or enemies? I suggest you think carefully."

Gandalf didn't need to think, because he had already made up his mind. "Sauron may seem like he is your savior, but you are wrong. He only cares about one person: Himself! And he corrupts all to do his bidding! Saruman may think he made the right decision,  
but I'm sure he'll realize too late how wrong he was. I, on the other hand, shall not make the same mistake!"

With that being said, the figure let out a growl of anger. He reached out his hand and used his powers to force Gandalf against the floor. The wizard screamed out in pain when the figure then used his powers to pull his arm back, and out of his socket.

"Wrong answer," the figure snarled, "Are you so loyal to your council that you would choose death over power?!"

"It's not loyalty," Gandalf snapped through gritted teeth, "It's a good and caring heart! Something of which _you_ don't have!"

The figure growled again, but finally released the wizard. However, he then proceeded to kick him in the side and throw him against the tower's pillar.

"I will return, grey beard! And my lord Saruman shall be with me!" he said menacingly, "While I'm gone, think about your answer again. I will give you _one_ more chance to join us. If you choose not to, then you will be the firstof manyto  
die in this war!"

He thenstormed off, leaving Gandalf crumpled against the ground. 

* * *

Ezra's arm had gotten worse when the group stopped to rest for the night. It almost felt like he didn't have an arm. That's how bad it was. And just looking at it made the padawan want to throw up. The skin didn't look tan at all. It was completely black  
and blue, like a bruise. Ezra could barely move it, and Kanan advised him to leave it alone.

Fortunately, the young Jedi was more consciousnow, but couldn't get up at all. He was forced to simply rest. But how could he rest with those big stone eyes looking at him? They had stopped deep into the forest, and had camped by these three big  
stone statues of monsterous creatures. However, what had alarmed everybody was that they weren't statues at all!

Strider explained to them that they were trolls that had been turned to stone by daylight. When Sam heard that, he had cried out in excitement, for he knew these particular trolls. He had listened to Bilbo tell stories about how he and the 13 dwarves  
had come across three monsterous trolls: Tom, Bert, and William. They had tried to cook them for dinner, but had been saved by Gandalf, who distracted the trolls till the sun's first light crept over the top of the trees.

When the hobbit had finished his little tale, Zeb had taken a couple steps back from the stone trolls, thinking that they'd come back to life and grab him. However, the rest of the crew didn't look as bothered and were more focused on Frodo and Ezra.  
The hobbit had gone unconscious, and they had little luck of waking himup.

Strider tended to Ezra's arm, getting a bucket of water and setting his arm in it. That actually felt great to the padawan, but unfortunately the pain was still there. The ranger said that'd have to do for now until they found the proper medicine. Kanan  
wrapped a blank around his apprentice to keep him warm.

Finally, Frodo woke up again, looking straight into the face of one of the stone trolls.

Sam, trying to cheer his friend up, said with a grin, "Look Frodo. It's Mr. Bilbo's trolls!"

Frodo suddenly began gasping in pain. The crew and the hobbits saw that his eyes had turned into a chalky white. Kanan looked down at the poor hobbit in concern. What was happening to him?! He couldn't be dying. There was no blood anymore. He sensed that  
something else was going on.

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam asked, shaking him, then looking up at Strider, "He's going cold!"

The ranger looked back at them, stress written all over his face. He had his torch out age was scanning the forest for any black riders. Everybody was hoping that those things wouldn't show up again. Their fight with them on the tower had shaken everybody  
up.

Pippin looked down at Frodo, worriedly, "Is he going to die?!"

Strider shook his head and replied hesitantly, "He's passing into the Shadow World. He'll soon become a wraith like them."

Sabine paled, "Okay...that's not good."

"A wraith?!" Zeb exclaimed with a nervous chuckle, "Um, we're not gonna let that happen, right?"

Strider looked at them, and then looked down at Frodo with pity. The hobbit was struggling, and it was obvious to the ranger's eye that he was losing the battle. He wasn't going to last much longer. And they were still a couple days away from Rivendell.

Strider shook his head confidentially, "No, we will not." He then hastily rushed up to Sam and pulled him aside, "Sam, do you know the Athelas plant?"

Sam rose a confused brow, "Athelas?"

"Kingsfoil," Strider translated.

Sam looked down in thought. "Kingsfoil? Aye, that's a weed!"

Strider nodded and handed the hobbit a bag, "It may help to slow the poison. Hurry!"

Sam rushed off in a heartbeat. Kanan could tell that the hobbit was desperate to help his friend. He remembered that he had said that he made a promise to Gandalf to not lose Frodo, and this was definitely a part of that promise.

Kanan looked over at Ezra, and saw that he was shivering. He knelt beside his apprentice and placed a hand on his shoulder. Everybody else looked over at them.

"Easy, Ezra," Kanan said calmly, "You're gonna be okay."

Ezra shook his head, "Kanan, I-I don't know if I'll b-be able t-t-to make it. It hurts so much."

Kanan nodded sympathetically. "I know, Ezra. I know. You've got to be strong for us though, okay? None of us want to lose you. You've _got_ to stay alive."

Ezra looked at him and then at the rest of the crew. They too had a look in their eyes that indicated they didn't want to lose him. It was actually rather touching, because he had never had a family for so long. _The Ghost_ had become his home for  
so many years, and he had grown close with everyone, even Chopper. What would it be like without him?

Ezra didn't want to let that happen. If he died, then he'd miss out on so many things if they ever got off this planet. He wanted to see Lothal again, and watch the Empire finally crumble. He wanted to experience what true freedom felt like for the first  
time. So many things. Ezra had to survive this. But not just for those things. He wanted to survive for his friends most of all.

Slowly, he nodded, "I will, Kanan. I promise."

Kanan smiled and patted his pupil on the shoulder, "Good, because we still have a big road ahead of us, kid. And we don't know how we'll livethrough it without you."

Ezra lightly chuckled, "Of course you don't. You can't survive without me."

Before Kanan could say anything else, Sam suddenly came rushing back.

"Strider!" he shouted.

Strider looked over at him and knelt, "Sam, what is it? Did you get the Athelas?"

The hobbit shook his head, "No. I had to come back." He pointed over at a thick column of trees, "There's something over therewatching us!"

When Strider heardthat, he immediately got up and rushed a couple feet towards the trees. Kanan, Rex, and Zeb followed him. The ranger stopped and shined his torch in the direction that Sam pointed. The other three looked closely. A few seconds  
later, they found that the hobbit was right. Behind one of the trees, they could make out a hooded figure glancing over, watching them. When he saw the four men, he immediately hid behind the tree again.

Kanan frowned and whispered, "Do you think it's an enemy?"

Strider nodded, "I do. It's the tenth rider."

Kanan looked at him, shocked, "How do you know?!"

"His appearance is slightly different compared to the other Nazgul," Strider explained, "Specifically his cloak."

Zeb and Rexexchanged glances, not sure what the two men were talking about.

"Um," Rex muttered, "I'm very confused right now. Who is this?"

Kanan looked at the clone and the Lasat and explained, "Back at _the Prancing Pony_ , there were 10 black riders that arrived. However, Strider here told me that there's only supposed to be 9 of them."

Rex rose a brow, "So these guys recently got an addition to their group?"

"They'll be getting two additions pretty soon," Zeb whispered, "if we don't get Frodo to the Elf place."

"Not helping, Zeb," Kanan snapped at the Lasat. He then looked at Strider, "What do we do?"

Strider didn't reply for a couple minutes, and focused on the tenth rider. He saw him dash to another tree at a surprisingly fast speed. The ranger could see something...different about this particular Ringwraith. He didn't feel the normal chill he got  
whenever coming into contact with one of these things. Come to think of it, none of them got the chill at all. Unknown to the others, however, Strider knew that all Nazgul were blind and used different skills to find their prey. Yet, this one seemed  
to have perfect sight, as it kept glancing at them.

Zeb leaned over next to the ranger and whispered, "I say the four of us split up and pounce on him."

Strider shook his head, "I doubt that'll do any good. This rider seems faster than the others."

Zeb rolled his eyes, annoyingly, "So...we're _not_ going to attack then?"

"I never said that," Strider answered, giving him a disappointed glare, "All I said was that the four of us would be no match for him. We'll need the others' help on this."

Kanan nodded, "Agreed." He then looked at the clone veteran, "Rex, stay here and keep an eye on him while we get Hera and the others. Let me know if something changes."

Rex nodded, putting his helmet on, "Copy that."

As the clone kept an eye on the rider, the other three returned to the camp. Hera, Sabine, Sam, Merry, and Pippin were examining Frodo. The Twi'lek was lightly rubbing a wet cloth over the hobbit's head. Ezra was leaning against one of the stone trolls,  
shivering more and more. Chopper activated a small light to try and keep him warm.

Hera looked up at them and then set the cloth down. After looking over Frodo one more time, they all stood up and went over tothe three men.

Sabine crossed her arms, "What's going on?"

Zeb shrugged, "Turns out there's a tenth black rider spying on us."

Merry's jawdropped, "A _tenth_ rider?! Strider, I thought you said there were only nine!"

"I did," the ranger admitted, "and that's how many thereshould be. I have no idea where this one came from. I normally don't get this surprised."

Kanan stroked his chin and looked over at the two injured members of the group, "Surprised or not, I sense that this rider is here for Frodo. If he gets his hands on him, that'll mean trouble for all of us."

"That's comforting," Hera commented before taking out her blaster. "So what's the plan?"

The Jedi Knight pointed back at the trees, "Rex is watching the rider to make sure he doesn't run off. If we're going to attack this guy, we'll need your help to do it." He then looked back at Frodo and Ezra and sighed, "Those two are in no position to  
go anywhere, though. So Zeb, you and Chopper will stay here and watch over them."

"Me?!" the Lasat groaned in disappointment, "Kanan, I can help you get that guy!"

"Somebody needs to guard them in case the rider comes this direction," Kanan argued, placing a hand on the big guy's shoulder, "and there's nobody else I trust to do that more than you."

That got Zeb, and he sighed, "Fine. I'll guard them."

He reached over his shoulder and pulled out his bo-rifle. He then nodded to Chopper to head over to watch Frodo and Ezra. Merry and Pippin looked over at Strider, a bit pale in the face.

"A-Are you wanting us to come too?" Pippin asked nervously.

Strider nodded, "If we are to keep this Ringwraith away from Frodo and Ezra, then we need all the help we can get, Peregrine Took." He gave him a light smile, "Do not worry, I will make sure he does not harm you."

The hobbit wasn't too reassured about that, but he nodded all the same. Merry did so as well, although he wasn't too keen on attacking the Nazgul yet again after they just fought them. Sam decided to not only draw out his sword, but his frying pan as  
well. He claimed that it'd be effective.

Kanan reaches down and pulled out his lightsaber, activating the blade. Even though they had seen that a couple times already, the hobbits were still fascinated by it. Even Strider showed some interest as well.

"We should get moving," Kanan said, nodding to the ranger.

"Yes let's," Strider agreed, "Hopefully Rex hasn't let the enemy out of his sight."

Sabine smirked as she took out her twin blasters, "He's a clone trooper. They never let _any_ enemy out of their sight."

Kanan signaled for Zeb to keep his comlink on, and then they headed back to Rex. Sabine put her own helmet on, setting it to night vision. All hobbits pulled out their swords and stayed behind Hera. Rex looked back and saw them coming.

"Still there," he reported, "Definitely knows we spotted him because he hasn't moved from that tree."

Strider looked at the tree where the rider was hiding and then around the forest. "I think we will follow Zeb's advice now since there are more of us. We'll split up and take him from different sides."

"A good plan," Kanan agreed, "Hera, Sam, and Pippin will go with me. Strider, you take Merry, Sabine, and Rex with you."

The ranger nodded. Without another word, they quietly split up, their eyes not leaving the one tree. Kanan led his group into some bushes and signaled for them to creep along quietly. Pippin held his breath out of fear of screwing up. Strider's group  
snuck behind some trees and they slowly got closer to the rider's position with every step.

They could still see him glancing behind the tree. From Kanan's angle, he looked a little confused and was looking around to see where they had gone too. The Jedi smirked. Taking down this rider would probably be too easy. He wasn't afraid of this one  
for some reason. He couldn't tell if he had gotten brave or if he was angry that the wraiths hurt his apprentice. Either way, he would use this newfound bravery to his advantage.

They closed in on the rider's position. Kanan looked back at his group and gave the signal. One, two, three. They charged out of the bushes. Strider got the signal and led his group out from the trees, but when they met up, they were shocked to find the  
rider wasn't there! He had vanished!

Everybody was confused and looked around, weapons at the ready. Suddenly, Kanan sensed movement, and turned around. His move was too late because once he turned, he saw a fist punch him in the face and send him toppling back. Everybody twirled around  
and saw the rider a couple feet from the Jedi. Rex, Sabine, and Hera opened fire. However, to their shock, the rider moved fast and was dodging the bolts and running down the forest.

The group gave pursuit, still firing after him. Strider and Kanan took the lead, slowly catching up to the enemy. All of a sudden, the rider twirled around and intended to jump in the air and kick both of them. Fortunately, the ranger and the Jedi dodged  
out of the way just in time. Kanan immediately jumped back up and swung his lightsaber at the wraith. He attempted to cut off his arm, but the rider evaded the blow. He tried for his head, but the rider ducked. However, once he did that, that gave  
the Jedi's foe the opportunity to kick him straight in the stomach. Kanan bent down in pain, and the rider grabbed him by the neck and flipped him over, slamming his back hard against the ground.

Strider swung his sword and only got a piece of the rider's cloak. He twirled around and punched the ranger straight in the jaw, then kicked him in the knee. Unlike the Jedi, Strider was able to keep balance and ignoredthe pain. He then sent his  
own fistslamming against the rider's face. The ranger though was shocked to discover that his enemy had a face, because theotherNazgul usually didn't.

That was not enough to make the rider lose balance unfortunately. He suddenly leapt high into the air and grabbed Strider's face with his hands. The rider then quickly brought his feet down and ran them right into the ranger's stomach. That got him. Strider  
crumpled to the ground and grunted when the rider then kicked him hard in the back.

The rest of the group caught up. They saw the fallen ranger and Jedi and started firing. The hobbits charged at the rider, screaming at the top of their lungs. The enemy would've knocked them down in a second if it weren't for Hera, Sabine, and Rex shooting  
at him. However, instead of running this time, the rider suddenly climbed up a nearby tree with super speed. They shot up after him, but after he vanished past the branches, everything had turned silent.

"Um...is he still up there?" Sabine asked, worried because it had become almost too silent.

Rex and Hera helped Kanan and Strider back up to their feet. Both men assured them that they were fine before looking at the tree.

"I'll check," Kanan replied.

He force leapt up into the tree, and was baffled to find that the rider had vanished!

"He's not here!" he exclaimed.

Hera shook her head confusedly, "But that's impossible."

Rex examined the forest, and his eyes suddenly went wide, "No it's not! Look!"

They looked to where to clone pointed and saw the rider far away from them, running straight towards their camp sight.

Sam looked stunned, "How did he get all the way over there?!"

"This isn't some ordinary rider," Strider replied, looking just as shocked, "After him! He's heading straight for Frodo, Zeb, and Ezra!"

Meanwhile, back at the camp, Zeb had his bo-rifle set to kill. He kept on looking back and forth at the forest and at the hobbit and Jedi. Chopper just grumbled with boredom. The Lasat was actually kind of bored too, but tried to stay positive.

Suddenly, Hera's voice came over his comlink, "Specter 4, do you read me?! Come in! Specter 4, do you copy?!"

Zeb brought the comlink closer to his face, "I read you Hera. What's up?"

"Zeb, listen to me, the rider's heading your way!" Hera replied.

The Lasat grinned and pointedhis bo-rifle towards the forest, "Finally."

"Don't underestimate him, Specter 4," Kanan warned over the comlink, "This wraith is fast and unpredictable!"

Zeb rose a brow, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He instantly found out the hard away as something fast charged right into him and knocked him off his feet. Zeb looked up to see the tenth rider towering over him. With a growl, the Lasat opened fire, but missed the target. The rider then got a huge tree  
branch, and slammed it against Zeb's face. He clutched the side of his face in pain.

Chopper tried zapping the rider, but he simply kicked the astromech away. He then looked and saw Frodo laying there, gasping for breath. His eyes then went to the hobbit's front coat pocket, where he could see the ring slightly poking out. He reached  
out with a gloved hand to grab it. However, Zeb was back on his feet and suddenly wrapped his arms around the rider's waist and threw him against a tree. The enemy was down for a few minutes, but quickly leapt back on his feet. He seized a nearby  
stick and twirled it around, using it as a weapon.

Zeb once again turned his bo-rifle into a shock stick and charged at his opponent. He was alarmed to find the stick was harder than he thought. They both clashed acrossthe camp sight. Zeb tried to electrocute the rider inthe stomach, but he  
blocked that blow and kicked the Lasat in the foot. The rider then wacked his stick against his thigh. Zeb suddenly grabbed said stick with his left hand and pulled it out of the rider's hand, throwing it far away.

The Lasat then pointed his shock stick at his enemy triumphantly. His grin faded immediately though when the rider suddenly fell to the ground and swiped his feet against Zeb's legs, tripping him. He hit the ground hard and then felt the rider kick him  
straight in the face.

With the Lasat now unconscious, the rider made his way back to Frodo, once again reaching out his hand to take the ring.

"Hold it!" he suddenly heard a voice behind him yell.

He turned around to see the crew, Strider, and the hobbits pointing their weapons at him.

"It's over!" Rex snapped, "We got you outnumbered!"

The rider withdrew his hand from Frodo and turned around to face his opponents. Strider and Kanan walked opposite sides to block him from escaping.

"You're not gonna take Mr. Frodo, you filth!" Sam growled at him.

The rider looked unphased by the hobbit's threats. Without warning, and once again shocking everybody, he leapt over the stone trolls and began running down the forest. He realized that he was outnumbered and would have to find some other way to get the  
ring.

The group was not finished with him yet and chased after him. Hera fired a couple shots in his direction, but as predicted kept on missing. Rex even threw a smoke bomb to blind the rider, but that did little good, as he simply rushed past it. Kanan thought  
about using the Force to pull him back, but knew that he probably wouldn't be able to do it. With the way this rider was running, it seemed almost impossible to touch him. The Force almost seemed strong with this individual, even though Kanan hadn't  
seen him use it.

Suddenly, the group stopped in their tracks as they realized the rider had vanished from sight.

"Where did he go?" Merry asked.

Strider frowned and put his sword back in his sheath, "He's fled, for now."

Kanan deactivated his lightsaber and sighed with relief. Whatever this rider was, they had driven him away. But he knew he'd be back. These Ringwraiths always seemed to come back, but the Jedi Knight had a strange feeling they'd be seeing this one more  
often. The way he tried to take the ring from Frodo was unlike anything he had witnessed from the other riders before. Strider was right, there were some things about him that separated him from the other Nazgul. And that wasn't good.

Suddenly, everybody jumped when out of nowhere, a long sharp sword went against Strider's neck. The crew instantly pointed their blasters, thinking that the enemy had shown up again. However, when the figure came into the light, they realized it wasn't  
the tenth rider. Instead, they saw a woman, dressed in purple clothing. But there was also something different about her. Instead of smooth ears like a human, her ears were pointed.

She looked over at Strider and smirked, "What's this? A ranger, caught off his guard?"

 **So, what did you guys think? :) As you can see, these two mysterious people mean business. But who are they? Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. :) Please subscribe. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 19: Showdown with the Nine**  
 **  
**

 ****

Frodowas dying. It wasn't because of the night, but more because of the poison creeping through his shoulder. However, the hobbit found that he coukd see better at night rather than by mind seemed to almost welcome the darkness. He  
wanted to just give up and let whatever was happening to him happen. Everything that he had encountered since he left the Shire had landed him into trouble. All because of this little ring in his pocket.

Frodo wondered if Bilbo had ever experienced something like this. He doubted it. The old hobbit may have encountered many dangers on his journey with the dwarves, but had never been through this type of problem. Frodo looked up at the stars as everything  
around him was a haze and all soundwas nothing more than an echo. He let out another gasp for breath. He saw Zeb, who had become conscious again, kneeling over him and yelling at him worriedly. Frodo suspected that he was asking if he was alright,  
but the poor hobbit couldn't speak. His throat was too try.

Just then, a great bright light came to his eyes. It wasn't sunlight. Frodo would know sunlight from anywhere. No, this was different. It was a shimmering white light that seemed to take everything dark out of the hobbit's view. Frodo then saw a figure  
riding up on a white horse and dismount. He looked closer and saw that it was a woman. Wait, no it wasn't just a woman. He saw that she had pointy ears. She was extremely beautiful.

The elf knelt down beside him and spoke in her own language. Ironically, Frodo was able to understand what she was saying.

" _Frodo_ ," she said, " _I am Arwen. I've come to help you. Hear my voice and come back into the light_."

The whole group was shocked to find that those words were enough to make Frodo calm down. There seemed to be a little bit of color that returned to the hobbit's eyes. That relieved them. Arwen knelt down beside Frodo, moving his shirt down a bit to where  
she could see the wound from the Morgal blade. Strider had some Kingsfoil in his hand and carefully put the plant over the wound.

Frodo let out a gasp of pain when that happened, but Arwen calmed him. The crew of _the Ghost_ and the hobbits looked at the woman with curiosity. They could not deny that there was a great beauty to her that even got Kanan's attention.

"Who is she?" Merry asked, looking at Arwen in wonder.

Sam examined her ears closely and then exclaimed in surprise, "She's an elf!"

Everybody's jawdropped at that even got Ezra's attention. The padawan looked up at Arwen, not even caring if his arm was still hurting. His eyes were wide with shock. For the first time, all of them had met an elf face to face!

Arwen examined Frodo closely and then looked at Strider, worried, "He's fading. He's not going to last."

The ranger nodded, knowing that she spoke the truth. The Kingsfoil was having little effect on the poor hobbit. It was enough to slow the poison, but not enough to stop it. Arwen then walked over and examined Ezra's arm. The padawan shyly let her take  
it. His heart was pounding fast by just looking at her. He didn't know what to say to such a beautiful person.

Kanan stood beside her and looked down at Ezra. His arms were crossed and he was trying to keep a straight face. But Ezra could tell that Kanan was scared for him. They all were.

"Well?" the Jedi Knight asked, "Is he going to be alright?"

Arwen frowned and shook her head, "Whatever he used to stab the wraith, it caused heavy damage to not only his arm, but his blood as well. If we don't get him the right treatment, he will die."

Kanan covered his face with his hands and began to breath heavily. Hera placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, even though she was also worried.

Strider walked over to the Jedi and placed his hand on his shoulder."Kanan, we'll help him," he assured.

Kanan nodded, although he was still panicking. If Ezra was going to possibly die, they'd have to get him somewhere fast.

Arwen stood up, looking at the ranger, "We must get them to my father."

Strider signaled for Kanan to pick up Ezra while he picked up Frodo. Arwen then looked over at an empty part of the forest, put her hand to her mouth, and let out a loud calling whistle. Instantly, out of nowhere came another white horse. It galloped  
right beside the other one and stopped. Kanan put Ezra on the new horse while Strider placed Frodo on Arwen's horse.

"I've been looking for you for two days," the elf explained to the ranger.

Merry looked at them confusedly, "Where are you taking them?"

They ignoredhis question as they continued talking.

"There are five wraiths behind you," Arwen warned Strider, "Where the other four are, I do not know."

Strider sighed, "You mean five."

Arwen looked him confused. What did he mean by five?

"We recently just encountered a tenth rider who tried to ambush our camp," the ranger explained.

This news seemed to trouble the elf. Kanan could see it in her and Arwen then began to talk in a language that none of them understood. The crew and the hobbits just watched confusedly.

Pippin leaned over to Zeb and whispered, "What're they saying?"

The Lasat shrugged, "No idea."

"It sounds like Elvish," Sabine whispered, "Frodo had taught me and Ezra some back in Bag End."

The ranger and the elf continued their conversation for a couple more minutes. From what everybody could gather, they were debating on their next move. They heard Frodo and Ezra's names mentioned off and on throughout their conversation.

Finally, Arwen spoke in basic, "I do not fear them."

Then a curious thing happened. The crew saw Strider place his hand on top of her's. The two gave each other a strange look that Kanan knew all too well. Strider then said something else in Elvish, and Arwen just smiled before mounting her horse. She then  
turned to face the others.

"I will need another to ride with me," she explained. "I will not be able to take both of them alone."

Kanan nodded, "I'll go."

However, before he did so, Hera stopped him.

"No, love," she said calmly, "You don't have much riding experience. Let Sabine take him."

Kanan looked at the Twi'lek as if she had gone mad, "Hera, he's _my_ apprentice!"

"You won't stand a chance against _all_ of those riders if you come across them!" Hera snapped, "I understand your reason, but Sabine has better riding experience than the rest of us. And she's a there's anybody that can keep  
up with Arwen, it's her."

Kanan looked at her and then at Sabine. He sighed. Deep down, he knew that Hera was correct. Being a Mandalorian, Sabine would do better ofa job fending off the wraiths than he would. Just because he was a Jedi Knight didn't mean that he was unstoppable  
like most Jedi masters had been before Order 66.

Sabine placed a hand on his shoulder, "Ill have his back, Kanan. I promise you."

Kanan nodded, feeling a bit reassured. Without another word, Sabine mounted the other horse and grabbed the reigns. She nodded to Arwen that she was ready to leave. The elf nodded in response and gave one last farewell to Strider.

"Sabine," Kanan called to her. When she was looking at him, he lightly smiled, "May the Force be with you."

Sabine returned said smile and nodded.

Strider looked at the elf and theMandalorian. "Ride hard. Don't look back."

With that, Arwen whispered something Elvish to the two horse and they immediately rode off at a fast speed. The group watched until both women finally vanished out of sight. Kanan closed his eyes, praying that they'd all be safe. As for the three hobbits,  
they were bewildered that Strider and the crew were allowing the elf to take them like that. And worst of all,alone.

"What're you doing?!" Sam asked, "Those wraiths are still out there!"

Yea, they were indeed still out there. And Kanan hoped that they could get rid of them once and for all.

Whatever it took. 

* * *

Dawn was brakingas Sabine Wren rode her horse through open plains. Arwen was leading the way, and the Mandalorian had no intention of stopping until they got to their destination. She checked Ezra, who was sitting behind her, and she found that  
the Jedi was wide awake. Hetried his best to not move his arm, but unfortunately failed as their horse galloped over several bumps.

Sabine could tell that he was getting weaker by the minute, and that was actually very surprising. She had never seen Ezra in a state like this before. It was very disturbing. Sabine felt for him. She didn't know what the pain must feel like, but she  
did know that it had to be much worse than what the Empire was capable of.

Oh yes, she remembered the Academy's type of pain. The officers who trained her on Mandalore were a bit...too strict on their students. Sabine had always wondered why the Empire had been interested in endlaving her people so much. She half guessed it  
was because Gar Saxon wished to stay in power as the Emperor's Hand.

Clan Saxon had never been too close with Clan Wren. Sabine remembered that her father had despised Gar Saxon, before he...disappeared. She didn't like to think about her father. Why? Because she blamed herself for his disappearance. It seemed like  
when she tried to speak out against the Imperials andher father disappeared, the rest of her family had turned on her, siding with the Empire.

It was painful. But the Mandalorian had trained herself to forget the pain and focus on the cause at hand. Well, more likes causes now. At one point, Sabine had been with Phoenix Squadron, fighting against the Empire, and now she was riding along the  
plains of a mysterious planet, pursued by the undead. Things couldn't get any weirder.

Sabine looked up at Frodo, who was sitting in front of Arwen. He was most definitely not doing any good. He didn't even look conscious from where the Mandalorian was riding. For many days now, she had questioned why Gandalf had put such an important task  
into the hands of such a small person. Maybe he thought the enemy wouldn't suspect a hobbit? A lot good that did, considering that the black riders had arrived in the Shire in search of a hobbit.

Sabine wondered why the wizard hadn't relied on a strong warrior to take the ring to Rivendell. She had seen Frodo on Weathertop. The hobbit hadn't even tried to fight and turned invisible to get away from the enemy. That resulted in the wound on his  
shoulder. A wound that could turn him into one of those freaks.

This was probably the stupidest thought ever, but Sabine had a fear that Frodo would suddenly attack them, screeching like a black rider. It made her shiver. Fortunately, she had her helmet and armor on to conceal her goosebumps.

What would happen if Frodo turned into a Ringwraith? Would they be able to help him still? No, she doubted it. This world was filled with dark magic, and magic usually couldn't be undone. Sabine had heard rumors that back in the Clone Wars, when Darth  
Maul ruled her people, his brother, Savage Opress, had been created by dark magic. But when the zabrak had been killed by a Sith Lord, he went back to his original state. Maybe it was just a rumor. Sabine didn't really know.

She just hoped they could save both Ezra and Frodo. Like the rest of the crew, Sabine didn't really know what she'd do without Ezra. For so many years, the padawan, who was only two years younger than her, had bugged her about her paint work. What if  
she'd have to paint alone? Would it feelweird? Most definitely. She cared about Ezra deeply, even though she didn't always show it.

Suddenly, Sabine thought she could hear other galloping hooves in the distance. Arwen had led them through a small patch of trees. When that happened, Sabine saw them. _Two_ black riders were advancing from her right, looking straight at them.

They had company.

Sabine slapped her horse on the side to make it go faster. She looked behind her and saw the wraiths on their tale, slapping the reigns down hard to catch up. The Mandalorian keapt one hand on the reigns while her other hand moved to her blaster. If these  
riders were looking for a fight with her, she'd give them one. She had been waiting to fight these things for a _very_ long time. Weathertop didn't count to Sabine, because they had taken them by surprise.

Arwen was aware of the Nazgul's' presence, and nodded to Sabine to catch up to her. The Mandalorian did as instructed, galloping her horse side by side with the elf's.

"Stay with me at all times and do exactly as I do," Arwen instructed, "More will be coming."

"How do you know that?" Sabine asked.

Arwen nodded down at Frodo, "They can feel the ring. We're drawing them away from the others."

Great. They were the bait. That was the last thing Sabine expected to happen. However, she decided to put her trust in the elf, even though she had a hard time trusting people.

Arwen was right. More did come. A _lot_ more. Sabine counted exactly eightblack riders in pursuit of them, screeching in fury as they tried to get to Frodo. Ezra looked back at the riders. He wished he could use the Force, but his injuries had  
weakened him too much. He was forced to helplessly watch.

One of the riders began to get close to them, reachingout its hand to seize Frodo. Sabine knew this was the right time to fight back. She couldn't shoot directly at the wraith, otherwise it'd screech so loud that it'd make then lose concentration  
and they'd be done for. Her eyes went to the horse upon which it rode on. She could tell that the animal had been manipulated by dark powers, so it wasn't a normal horse. However, she could definitely harm it. She pointed her blaster at one of the  
horse's hooves, and fired.

Instantly, the horse stopped and yelped, reelingback and knocking the black rider off. He smashed hard against the ground and screeched furiously. Without even a second thought, it hopped back on its horse and tried to catch up.

Another rider galloped alongside Sabine, attempting to knock her off her steed. The Mandalorian turned the tables around and used her foot to kick the rider off his own horse. That felt good to her. It seemed like here she was able to put her warrior  
skills to good use.

Sabine kept on blasting any horses catching up, and it was starting to make the Nazgul angry. One drew out its sword and went for her head. She yelled for Ezra to duck, and they did, barley missing the blade. She shot the rider's horse in the leg, and  
it launched him off its back and into three other Nazgul.

Sabine smirked and looked forward, but her eyes went wide and she shouted, "Look out!"

A ninth rider joined the party, nearly chopping Arwen's arm off. However, the elf took out her sword and fended him off, making him fall behind with the rest of the riders. She then whispered something to the two horses, which made them go even faster.  
Sabine had to hold on to the reigns with both hands this time, and put her blaster up.

They went into another column of trees and made many twists and turns, trying to lose the enemy. The riders were good though, and Sabine learned that they were hard to lose in a big chase.

Arwen soon led them to a river, which they crossed easily. She then signaled for the Mandalorian to stop and turned her horse around, looking back at the way they came. Sabine followed suite, although she wasn't exactly sure what they were doing. The  
riders came around the corner, but stopped once they reached the river, not sure whether to cross or not.

Suddenly, without warning, Ezra fell off the horse and landed on his back. To Sabine's horror, she saw that he was foaming in the mouth.

"Ezra!" she yelled, jumping off her steed and kneeling beside the Jedi.

Arwen shot them both a glance before glaring back at the Nazgul. They just stood there, watching them.

Finally, the lead rider spoke with a hiss, "Give up the Halfling, She-elf!"

Arwen drew her sword and snapped, "If you want him, come and claim him!"

The riders pulled out all their swords in response. Sabine looked at them and then at Arwen, wondering if they were going to flee. The elf made no move to leave though, and just stayed put. The riders began to slowly cross the river. However, once they  
did that, Arwen began to say a series of words unfamiliar to Sabine. She raised a brow as she watched the elf close her eyes, still chanting.

Then, the Mandalorian felt a series of vibrations against the ground. She looked around to find the source and saw, to her bewilderment, that monsterous waves were coming down fromthe river. And they were heading straight for the wraiths. The riders  
turned their heads and when they saw it, they made an attempt to gallop away, but their horses weren't quick enough to get out of the water.

The wavescrashedover them, like a stampede of wild white horses. Every single rider was washed away! Sabine's jaw dropped. Did they just kill the black riders?!

Frodo suddenly began gasping again, and it was worse this time. Arwen looked down at him and quickly got him off the horse, laying him on the ground. She tried to shake the hobbit to make him snap out of it, but it wasn't helping any.

"Frodo, no!" Arwen exclaimed with panick, "Frodo, don't give in! Not now!"

Sabine checked Ezra, but got no pulse. "Arwen, he's not breathing!"

The elf looked at both the Jedi and the hobbit, and all of a sudden dropped to her knees. She grabbed Frodo and held her in her arms. Sabine realized that all they could do now was hope that these two could hold out for a little whilelonger. All  
their hope now relied on them.

Arwen then set Frodo down beside Ezra and placed her hands on both of them. She then bent down and closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheek. Sabine could even feel tears rolling down her cheeks too. They couldn't die. Not yet! She never thought  
she'd admit this, but she needed Ezra. She couldn't live without him. If he died, the Mandalorian would experience something that she hadn't experienced in years: Heartbreak.

Finally, choking a bit on her tears, Arwen muttered, "What Grace has been given to me, let it pass to them. Let them be spared. Save them."

After a few more seconds, both women put the two back on their steeds and rode as fast as they could.

They failed, however, to see the tenth riderhiding behind the bushes, watching them as they rode off. When they were out of his sight, he turned away. 


	21. Chapter 21

**I'm back once again with chapter 20. :) Enjoy, guys. :)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 **Chapter 20: Welcome to Rivendell**

 ****

Ezra had no idea how long he had been unconscious. His vision was a blur, and there was a bright light that made him squint his eyes. He couldn't see anything. Where was he? How long had he been out? He couldn't remember too much. All he remembered was  
getting his arm hurt after stabbing a black rider, then getting ambushed by some mysterious tenth rider, and then riding with Sabine to who knows where.

Don't get him wrong, there were times when Ezra had desired to ride with the Mandalorian, but not like that. Not with a bunch of hooded dead guys chasing them. What had happened to them anyways? He had seen them across the river, but then he blacked  
out. Did they defeat them? Well obviously, considering how Ezra was alive right now.

Wait. Was he alive? He didn't feel any different, but was he absolutely certain that he was still breathing? The elf, Arwen, had said that he was dying. What if they had been too late? Maybe the reason why he couldn't see anything was because he was in  
the Netherworld of the Force. He could be a fallen Jedi, like the others before him.

Just then, Ezra felt someone tapping him. Relief immediately washed over him. No, he wasn't dead. The young Jedi padawan was very much alive. His vision started to become clearer, and he smiled when he saw the crew of _the Ghost_ looking downat  
him. They realized he was waking up and sighed with relief.

He found that he was laying on a very large comfortable bed in a room of strange, but beautiful, design. The sun was shining into the room, and Ezra could hear birds chirping outside. He also thought he could make out the sound of running water. There  
were no windows. Just a couple curtains. The young Jedi also thought he could see a balcony outside the room, in front of a waterfall. That explained the running water.

Just then, Sabine bent down and hugged Ezra tightly. He was a tad bit alarmed, but returned the hug.

"Thank goodness," the Mandalorian sighed, "I was so worried about you. You fell to the ground, foaming in the mouth, and I didn't know what to do, and-"

"Hey," Ezra replied with a chuckle, "I'malright."

When he said that, he suddenly realized something. He no longer felt the pain in his arm!He immediately looked down and saw that his skin was a normal color again. It was as if nothing had happened! Ezra lifted up his arm and moved it around, just  
to be sure. To his delight, the pain was absolutely gone.

Zeb smiled and crossed his arms, "So kid, how're you feeling?"

"Great!" Ezra exclaimed in fascination, "I feel absolutely great!"

Everybody immediately looked relaxed, and began laughing, very thankful that he was doing better. Even Chopper seemed happy to see Ezra back to his normal self again. Kanan just smiled and patted his apprentice on the shoulder.

Hera knelt down and hugged Ezra as well, "I'm so glad you're doing alright, Ezra. From what Sabine told us, we were almost afraid you were as good as gone."

Ezra smirked and shrugged, "Hey, we've been in tough situations before, haven't we? And we've never lost anybody."

Hera chuckled, "Well, thanks to the Elves, we didn't."

Ezra rose a confused brow at the Twi'lek, "Wait, Elves?" He looked over at Kanan, "Where are we?"

"You are in the House of Elrond," a sudden voice said from the doorway, "And it is 8:00 in the morning. On October the 24th, if you want to know."

Ezra's eyes widened. He knew that voice all to well. He hopped out of bed, ignoring Kanan's advice to stay put, and looked over at the person standing at the door.

"Gandalf?!" the apprentice exclaimed.

The Grey wizard chuckled as he was smoking his pipe, "Good to see you feeling better, young Ezra Bridger." He tilted his head towards Sabine, "When your friend brought you to Rivendell, your heart was on the verge of stopping. Thankfully,you managed  
to keep it together for a little while longer."

"Of course he did," Rex smirked as he patted Ezra on the shoulder, "He's a Jedi. And Jedi _never_ godown without a fight."

Gandalf smiled, "As I can see."

Ezra looked back at the others, "So we're in Rivendell?"

Sabine nodded, a slight gleam in her eye. "We are. Ezra, you should see it. It's beautiful! If you thought the Shire was amazing, wait till you see this place!"

"Indeed," Rex nodded in agreement, "And here I thought that the skyscrapers of Coruscant were a sight to behold. I can honestly say this place beats it."

Zeb began to fidget around uncomfortably and grumbled, "Yeah, you guys can say what you want, but it won't change my mind."

Ezra rose a brow, "What's your problem?"

Hera rolled her eyes, "Zeb here is scared of our hosts, the Elves."

"No!" the Lasat retorted, "That's not it! They're just a bit...paler than I expected. And it kinda gives me the creeps."

Kanan frowned, "You didn't have a problem with Arwen back at the camp."

Zeb shrugged and scratched his head, "Well...Arwen's different. She doesn't have that pale look, and she also doesn't look at you weirdlylike these ones have. I swear, I've gotten the strangest looks from tons of them today."

Ezra sighed and tilted his head, "Uh, probably because they've never seen a Lasat before?"

Gandalf smiled reassuringly, looking at Zeb. "Don't worry, Captain Orrilious. You have nothing to fear from the Elves. They are a highly respected folk in all of Middle Earth. And here in the Last Homely House, you are all very welcome to stay for as  
long as you wish."

That did no good whatsoever, but Zeb nodded anyways. He decidedto walk over to a nearby chair and sit down. Even the chairs were designed, which Ezra found curious. From what he could tell, these Elves had a deep respect for art and beauty. He figured  
Sabine would get along with them quite well.

Suddenly, Ezra remembered something else, "Frodo! Where is he?! Is he alright?!"

Kanan held up his hand in a calming manner, "Yes, Frodo is just fine. He's still hasn't woken up yet."

"A few more hours, and he would've been beyond our aid," Gandalf added. He then looked down and smiled as he was thinking, "but alas, hobbits have a strong will to live. And I think that's whatactually saved Frodo's life."

Ezra was relieved to hear that the hobbit was alright. He had heard that Frodo could've become a Ringwraith had the poison taken full effect, but judging by the look on everybody's faces, he knew that they wouldn't have to worry about that. Hobbits definitely  
had strength in them. Sometimes Ezra wondered how there were none of these folk that could've become Jedi. Although, he hadn't heard of hobbits, orcs, or goblins before, so that probably explained why.

"I'm glad to see that you're alright Gandalf," he said with a smile. However, his smile thenfaded to a confused look, "Which reminds me, where were you? You said we were to meet you at _the Prancing Pony_ , but you never showed up."

"I was honestly about to ask the same thing," Kanan said in agreement, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest.

The crew looked at him, waiting for an explanation. Gandalf could tell that they were a little bit ticked about him being gone. And he couldn't blame them, for he had assured them he'd be waiting for them in Bree. But this was not the right time to explain  
what had happened to him.

"I was delayed," he simply replied. 

* * *

_A couple days earlier..._

 __

Gandalf slammed headfirst against one of Orthanc's pillars. The masked figure had indeed returned, and Saruman was with him. They had asked yet again if the Grey wizard would join them in their task: To rebuild Middle Earth through the eyes of Sauron.

Gandalf, however, would not be tempted by the darkness. Despite the masked figure's persuading explanation, he knew that both of these fools were being deceived by the Dark Lord. They were promised power, but Gandalf knew that should they win, they'd  
get the exact opposite. Sauron was a brutal adversary, and he only caredabout himself and what _he_ desired.

Gandalf knew it'd be pointless to reason with the two though. They had already made their decision, and would not see reasoning. He was surprised to find that Saruman decided to torture him this time instead of the figure. Gandalf was kind of thankful  
for that because the other was very effective at causing extreme and unbearable pain.

"The friendship of Saruman is not lightly thrown aside!" snarled the White wizard, using his staff to throw Gandalf across the top of the tower.

Both wizards glared at each other. Unfortunately, Gandalf couldn'tdefend himself, so he was vulnerable to the powers of Saruman. The masked figure just watched with amusement, leaning against one of the pillars, arms crossed. Saruman then moved  
his staff to the right,sliding Gandalf off the top of the tower, but holding him in midair.

He sneered down at the Grey wizard, "One ill turn deserves another. It is over! Embrace the power of the ring, or embrace your own destruction!"

Unbeknownst to the two enemies, however, Gandalf spotted the moth he had seen earlier. It flew over him, and he immediately realized that he was about to be saved. Saruman brought his staff down, making Gandalf land on top of the tower hard. But the Grey  
wizard paid it no mind. With his face against the floor, he lightly smiled.

The masked figure walked over and knelt down before him, "Last chance, grey beard. Allies or death?"

Shakingly, Gandalf lifted himself off the ground, staring cooly at both the figure and Saruman.

"There is only one Lord of the Ring, only one who can bend it to his will," he replied, looking past them as he saw a great eagle flying towards him, "And he does not share power!"

Without warning, Gandalf jumped off the top of the tower. Saruman's eyes went wide and he rushed to the edge, followed by the masked figure. Had the Grey wizard lost his mind?! But then they saw it. A great eagle swooped down and caught Gandalf, immediately  
flying away from Isengard. Both foes watched furiously as both the wizard and the bird disappeared from view.

Behind his mask, the figure glared at Saruman and sighed, "The Great Eye will want to hear about this."

He then turned and descended from the tower. Saruman knew he was going to inform Sauron about Gandalf's escape, but he didn't care. The White Council was boundto find out sooner or later. The Grey wizard had officially sealed his fate, along with  
the rest of Middle Earth.

"So you have chosen _death_ ," Saruman muttered, even though he knew Gandalf couldn't hear him.

By the time dawn rose across the land, Gandalf was already flying over the snowy mountains of Caradhras. Rivendell wasn't that far away, and he needed to inform Lord Elrond of all that had transpired. He hoped that Frodo and his companions weredoing  
alright, and that Strider had found them and took them on. 

* * *

_Present Day..._

Gandalf seemed to be lost in thought. When Ezra heard him say that he had been delayed, he wondered why. More importantly, he wondered _how_. From the moment he met the wizard, he had always come and go as he pleased. Ezra was a little bit stunned  
that Gandalf was delayed that easily.

Kanan's brow furrowed, because he saw how deeply concerned the wizard was. They all could see it too. Something had happened while they were on the run from those black riders. They doubted Gandalf would be willing to share right now though.

Ezra, however, decided to ask the question anyways, "What happened, Gandalf?"

The wizard broke out of his trance, and coughed a bit on the smoke he inhaled.

He smiled sadly and answered, "All will be revealed in good time, my friends." He then looked Ezra over again, "However, since you seem to be doing well, I think I'd like to introduce all of you to our host. He's been very eager to meet you."

Sabine looked a little shocked, "He has?"

Gandalf seemed to brighten up and chuckled, "Why of course! It's not everyday we hear of strangers that had come from beyond the stars. If that were a common thing, then you wouldn't be getting such strange glances, would you?" He glanced over at Zeb  
when he said that last part.

The Lasat just sighed and rolled his eyes when the wizard wasn't looking. Ezra and Sabine stifled a chuckle at that, but stopped when they saw Zeb scowl at them. Hera and Kanan simply smirked at the lot before looking back at Gandalf.

"We'd be happy to meet our host," Hera replied with a smile.

Gandalf nodded and told them to follow him. He led the crew into an arched hallway. Ezra saw many drawings painted on the walls, as well asbeautiful golden armor hanging from said walls. Judging by their design, the padawan figured that this armor  
was most likely what the Elves used when it came to war. And it seemed to be pretty effective. He could make out a couple of dents on some of the armor. Theycouldsure take a beating.

Gandalf then led the crew of _the Ghost_ outside, and it immediately took Ezra's breath away. He found himself looking at a beautiful citysitting deep within a valley. Waterfalls could be seen from almost all sides, and there was even a clear  
stream below the city. Ezra almost wanted to trace his fingers along the cool water, but knew that he should probably keep up with the others.

As they walked along, Gandalf explained that Rivendell was known as the hidden valley, which made perfect sense considering how deep they were in between the hills. Ezra also learned the elvish name for the city: Imladris. It kind of rolled off the tongue.

The crew finally caught sight of the Elves. There were men, women, and children alike. All had long smooth hair and, of course, pointy ears. They were dressed in fancy clothing, and some of them even wore robes. All of the men's faces were shaven, which  
looked a little odd to some of the crew. Zeb was definitely right when he said they looked pale, but Ezra found out that was because they had creamy skin, of sorts. Still, they were a beautiful sight. He understood why Gandalf said they were a highly  
respectable folk.

Ezra looked over at Sabine and saw her trace her hand against the wall, admiring the artwork. He wondered if she had any plans to paint some of her stuff on there. The Mandalorian made no move to grab her paint canisters though, which was another shocking  
thing today.

Both Kanan and Ezra could feel the Force move so lightly through the city. They felt no darkness at all. Well, except for the ring of course. But for now, that thing was out of their sight, much to their relief. It had cost them far too many troubles  
on the way to Rivendell. However, they were also releived that the black riders would no longer be a problem. According to Sabine, Arwen had called upon the magic of the land and washed the wraiths away. That actually seemed a bit startling to Ezra.

It was very great to know that the riders were gone, though. Ezra had never pictured himself coming across the undead before, but unfortunately the galaxy was full of surprises. Too many for the young Jedi's liking. One thing was for sure though: He hoped  
he would never have to meet the undead again.

Finally, the group found themselves entering a rather large building. Gandalf led them up a series of stairs until they finally came to a small study. They saw several old looking books laying about as well asa large balcony, overseeing the entire  
city of Rivendell. There was a large desk at the end of the study. Sitting behind said desk was an older looking elf. He didn't exactly _look_ old, but Ezra and Kanancould tell by the look in his eyes that he was an elf who had lived formany  
years. He seemed to be the wisest of them all.

The elf was reading one of the books on his desk, but when he heard Gandalf and the crew approach, he looked up. A light smile came to his face and he stood up. Ezra saw that he was wearing reddish robes and had a ring, of beautiful design, on his finger.

"Gandalf," the elf acknowledged the wizard.

Gandalf bowed, followed by the rest of _the Ghost_ crew. "My Lord Elrond." He then pointed to them, "These are the strangers that I had told you about. I thought it was the appropriate time to introduce you to them."

Elrond looked at the crew a rose a curious brow, "The ones from beyond the stars?"

Gandalf nodded, pointing to each one of them, "Yes. This is Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight. Next to him his his apprentice, Ezra Bridger. Then the Twi'lek General, Hera Syndulla. Captain Garezeb Orrilous, of the Lasat High Honor Guard. Sabine Wren, of Mandalore.  
And Clone Captain Rex."

Chopper made an angry grumble.

"Oh right," Gandalf added, "And this is Chopper, a thing that they call an astromech droid."

Elrond stared at each one of the crew members. He seemed a bit started by Chopper, for he had never seen living metal before. However, he also seemed very fascinated with Zeb and Hera.

Finally, he smiled at them warmly, "Alas, I know not of your people nor where you come from, but I can tell that you are an ally to Middle Earth. Welcome to Rivendell, travelers from afar." He then bowed to them in respect.

The crew of _the Ghost_ once again bowed, a bit nervous. This Elf was kind, but he also seemed a bit serious.

"It'san honorto meet you, Lord Elrond," Kanan answered, speaking for all, "We are very greatful to you for helping my padawan."

Elrond shook his head kindly, "No thanks are needed, Kanan Jarrus." He then smiled at Ezra, "Your apprentice is very strong. It was a miracle that he survived long enough for my people to heal him."

The Jedi Knight smiled and nodded. Elrond then invited the crew to have a seat, to which they gladly accepted. Hera and Kanan sat in two seats on the other side of the desk. Sabine and Ezra sat on a couple chairs against the wall. Rex and Zeb remained  
standing, leaning up against the wall. Elrond returned to his original seat while Gandalf left the study. The wizard said he wished to check up on Frodo and see how he was managing.

"My friends," Elrond finally said, "you have no idea how thankful we are to you for helping to get the ring to Rivendell. If it had fallen into the hands of the enemy, I fear it would've brought darkness upon all these lands."

Hera nodded, "We were just happy to help, Lord Elrond. My crew specializes in fighting to protect the innocent. We've done so for a very long time."

"Indeed," Elrond replied with a nod, "Gandalf informed me that you called yourselves rebels, and fought against an evil called the Galactic Empire."

Kanan shrugged, "Honestly, my lord, from what we've gone through these last couple weeks, I'd say that Sauron is a greater threat than the Empire. Although, he fortunately lacks weapons that they have."

" _And_ Inquisitors," Ezra added, remembering his previous encounters with fourof the Emperor's best.

Zeb huffed, "If you ask me, the riders seemed even worse than those bloody Inquisitors."

Elrond's brow furrowed, and he leaned forward a bit in his seat, "Which brings me back to the topic of young Mr. Bridger's arm. You were fighting against the Nazgul on Weathertop, correct?"

Ezra nodded, "Yes, I did."

Elrond rose a brow, "The wound you got from stabbing one of them was unlike any other wound we have seen exactly did you use to stab the wraith?"

Ezra shot a look to Kanan, wondering if it was alright to show his lightsaber. His master nodded without hesitation. Ezra then stood up, pulled out his lightsaber, and activated the blade. Elrond's eyes slightly widened as he stared at it. He stood up  
from his chair, walked over, and examined the lightsaber up close. The blade's green glow shined against the Elf's skin.

"What kind of magic and craftsmanship is this?!" Elrond exclaimed.

"It's called a lightsaber," Ezra explained, "It's the weapon of the Jedi."

Elrond just stared at it amazingly and shook his head, "Remarkable. It's unlike any sword or axe I have ever seen before. What is it made of?"

"That's kind of a long story," Kanan butted in, "but let's just say that it's made out of something far more powerful than fire."

Elrond nodded, stroking his chin with his hand, "Well, that may explain a great deal then." He returned to his seat as he continued. "When a normal blade stabs a Nazgul, its owner is severely injured. However, despite the pain, it doesn't exactly kill  
the victim. But apparently when a weapon like this 'lightsaber'stabs a wraith, the results are far worse than what any other man goes through. And unfortunately that could mean death."

Kanan frowned as he was thinking, "But what I don't get is how he couldn't kill them or at least injure them with his lightsaber. I mean, that blade is known to slice through pretty much anything."

Elrond sighed, "Where youcome from, Kanan Jarrus, that may be the case. But the Nazgul are servants to the Dark Lord, Sauron. And he has cast so many mysteriousand sinister spells upon them that it seems almostimpossible to strike them  
down. Even the most powerful of weapons have never been able to accomplish this."

"Well...that's a surprise," Rex commented, a bit shocked that there was actually something that a lightsaber couldn't destroy.

Ezra was as shocked as well. Kanan had always told him that the lightsaber was the most powerful weapon in the galaxy. Completely unstoppable. Unfortunately, the young apprentice found out the hard way what the effects were from stabbing a black rider.  
He was definitely _not_ going to do something like that again.

Hera spoke all of a sudden, "Lord Elrond, if I may, what will become of the ring? Will it stay here in Rivendell?"

The Elf frowned and he shook his head, "I do not know, General Syndulla. This ring is extremely powerful. And if Sauron knows that it is here, he will have his eye fixed on Rivendell. Not much can be decided until the full council has arrived."

Hera tilted her head, "Council?"

Elrond nodded, "Not long after Frodo and Ezra were brought to Rivendell, I sent out word to all the free peoples of Middle Earth. Theyare to be summoned here, where a great council will be held to decide the ring's fate."

Ezra perked up when he heard that, "Well that's good, isn't it? That way, we can find a way to get rid of it once and for all."

Elrond frowned and shrugged, "If it were only that simple, Ezra Bridger. The representatives consist of Elves, Men, and Dwarves. Unfortunately, none of us have the best relations, especially the Elves and Dwarves."

"Why's that?" Ezra asked curiously.

The Elf looked down for a minute, "Honestly, no one knows exactly what began the rift. The Elves havenot had dealings with the Dwarves since the darker days of Middle Earth."

That seemed kind of odd to Ezra. He had never thought that the people in this world wouldn't get along. Didn't they share a common enemy in Sauron? Why be on opposing sides when there was a growing darkness ready to wipe out everything good?

Ezra looked back up at Elrond and realized that he looked a littlebit sad when he had said this. It was quite obvious that he didn't approve of the rift. Yet, Ezra could also sense that Elrond had deep mistrust for the Dwarves, even though he desired  
to get along with them. What was so bad about these Dwarves anyways? He'd probably have to see for himself when the delegates arrived.

Elrond then looked up at them and smiled, "Be that as it may, let us not speak of dark tidings at this moment. You, my friends, are one of my honored guests." He then stood up, "I can take you to your other companions, if you so wish."

Oh right!Ezra had almost forgotten about Sam, Merry, and Pippin. He wondered how the three hobbits were holding up after all that had transpired. He was actually very eager to see them again.

Elrond led them out into a large courtyard. There were a couple elves sitting around, reading, and others that were just taking a walk along a stream. Ezra looked over and saw to his delight that Merry and Pippin were sitting on a bench, talking with  
an old person. However, when the two hobbits looked over and saw the crew approaching, they immediately beamed with joy.

Before Ezra knew what was happening, they rushed over and grabbed him in a tight embrace. Kanan and Hera lightly chuckled at the apprentice's baffled expression.

"Ezra!" Pippinexclaimed, "You're alright!"

Ezra chuckled, "Good to see you too, Pippin."

The two hobbits eventually pulled back, lightly punching the padawan in the arm.

"You gave us a scare," Merry commented, crossing his arms over his chest. "How's your arm?"

Ezra pulled back his sleeve to show them and smirked, "Painless. The elves did a very good job."

Elrond smiled, nodded to the crew, and then took his the three went into deep conversation, Kanan glanced over at the old person sitting on the bench. He raised a brow because he looked to be the same size as a hobbit. He then saw the  
person stand up, look over at the crew, and slowly walk over with his cane.

That's when Kanan realized that there was something...familiar about this old hobbit. He looked closely for a few seconds. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He knew exactly who it was, although his appearance was shocking.

"Bilbo Baggins?!" he exclaimed.

Ezra looked over too, and his eyeswent wide. As a matter of fact, the whole crew of _the Ghost_ was surprised. It indeed was Bilbo! But he looked older than the last time they saw him! His hair had turned fullwhite and he was slightly  
bent over.

Bilbo smiled and gave them a wave, "Hello again, strangers from afar! It is good to actually meet you all in person this time." He chuckled to that. "I'm actually very surprised to have come across you folk again. I had thought that you were just passing  
by when you came to my party."

Ezra resisted himself from smirking at that. Because actually, that _had_ been the plan at first. They were supposed to have bought parts for _the Ghost_ in the Shire and then take off to meet up with the rebellion. Well, that plan didn't work  
out, because look where they were at now.

Kanan knelt down and shook hands with the hobbit, smiling, "It's good to see you again, Mr. Baggins."

"Mr. Baggins?!" Bilbo laughed,shaking his head, "No need to be so formal, good sir. You can call me Bilbo."

Kanan smiled and chuckled, "Very well, Bilbo."

The Jedi Knight introduced himself to the hobbit, followed by the rest of the crew. Bilbo found some of the names a bit odd, but didn't really say anything about it. He was shocked to discover that their droid, Chopper, was actually a living machine.  
He had never heard anything of the sorts before. Kanan wondered if it was a good idea to explain to the old hobbit about where they came from, but decided to do it anyways.

As expected, Bilbo was quite baffled when he found out they came from space. However, once Kanan had finished, he just chuckled.

"I have heard many strange things in my time," he commented, "and I've seen some strange thingstoo. But never have I heard of people who came from the heavens." He then went into deep thought, "Perhaps I should add that in my book as well. It'd  
make for quite an interesting tale."

"A book?" Hera asked with interest, "You're a writer?"

Bilbo nodded, "Why of course. Believe me, my dear Hera, if you had embarked on a great adventure after being only at home for 50 years, you'd want to write stuff down too. I had to write down every single thing I encountered on my journey with the dwarves."

Ezra smirked to himself and nodded with satisfaction. So Bilbo's journey to Erebor _was_ true. The young Jedi wished he could go back to the Shire and bring that one hobbit to Rivendell and prove that it wasn't 'a bunch of poppycock.'

Ezra looked the old hobbit over confusedly. How was it that he wasn't that old several weeks ago, but was now old at this very moment? It didn't make sense to him...unless. No. Ezra wanted to ask him first before he made any guesses.

"Um, Bilbo, may I ask you a question?" he asked nervously.

Bilbo smiled, "Of course, Ezra Bridger. Ask away."

Ezra had a hard time using his words so he just pointed at the hobbit, "H-How are you um...?"

Bilbo leaned back and laughed, "How am Iolder than what I was months ago?" When the apprentice nodded, he continued, "Well, I believe that it's because of that old ring of mine. Ever since I left it in Bag End after the party, I noticed that as  
the days went by, age seemed to finally catch up to me."

Ezra looked down, remembering something Gandalf had said the night before they left Hobbiton.

 _For 60 years, the ring lay quiet in Bilbo's keeping, prolonging his life, delaying old age._

A lot of what the wizard had been saying that night started to make sense to Ezra now. A couple of the crew were also thinking the same thing, amazed at how the ring was able to make people live longer. They knew though that this thing was not to be messed  
with. Not only would it prolong old age, but it'd also make people have a strong desire for it.

"You must be sad that all of that was taken away from you," Ezra remarked.

Bilbo shrugged and shook his head, "Eh, not really. I know that this old hobbit has lived his life. It's time for me to grow old and move on to a better life beyond this one." He then looked at each of them, "I've come to realize that life is a road.  
You have to stay on it and enjoy it until you reach your journey's end."

"That is a very interesting comparison," Kanan mused.

Just then, Merry and Pippin shouted out in joy. The crew twirled around and saw Frodo walking their way, followed by Sam. Immediately, the two hobbits rushed over to embrace their friend. When Frodo saw them he laughed with joy as he embraced them. Even  
Ezra unexpectedly rushed over and embraced the hobbit. The crew of _the Ghost_ slowly walked over to join them.

Frodo smiled, "Good to see you doing better, Ezra."

"Likewise, Frodo," Ezra nodded with a grin.

The remainder of the crew gave the hobbit their greetings, with Rex and Zeb lightly punching the hobbit in the shoulder.

"You've got some strength, Mr. Baggins," Rex complimented him.

"Yeah," Zeb nodded in agreement, but then grinned, "but I'm also glad to see that you aren't a Ringwraith."

Frodo just rolled his eyes and chuckled, "Good to see you too, Zeb."

Kanan then knelt down before the hobbit and placed his hand on his shoulder, smiling kindly. Frodo nodded to the Jedi Knight and smiled back. Kanan then glanced behind him and then tilted his head back in the old hobbit's direction.

"There's someone here that I think is very eager to see you," Kanan smirked.

Frodo looked past the Jedi, and immediately beamed with joy. When he saw his uncle sitting there, smiling at him, the young hobbit rushed over and hugged him.

"Bilbo!" Frodo wepthappily.

Bilbo weptas well as he replied, "Hello, Frodo my lad."

The crew watched them as they started to catch up on the past few months. Ezra felt happy for Frodo. He knew that he loved his uncle more than anything, and this was a pleasant gift to receive after all that they had been through.

Being in the safety of Rivendell made the crew of _the Ghost_ relieved. They no longer had to be on the run, and they were starting to believe that things were going to get better from here on out.

Or so that thought. 


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey everybody. Just wanted to thank you guys again for your reviews and suggestions. :) They are actually very excellent ideas, and I will try and find some way to fit them into the story. :) In the meantime, I hope you guys continue to enjoy the story. Please subscribe. :) And now we begin chapter 21! :)**  
 **  
**

 ****

 **Chapter 21: Peril to all Middle Earth**

 ****

The next day, Hera and Kanan were summoned to Elrond's study. They were requested by their host to come alone. Usually to them, that meant that they had something important to discuss. Both the Twi'lek and the Jedi Knight exchanged glances, wondering  
what was so important that it had to be secretive.

When they entered the study, they found both Elrond and Gandalf in deep conversation. They turned their heads to the newcomers. Kanan and Hera bowed respectfully to the two elders.

Elrond gave them a nod, "Thank you for coming, Kanan and Hera."

Hera crossed her arms and tilted her head, "I take it this isn't a social call, Lord Elrond? You did request for just me and Kanan alone."

"We believe it best that what we have to say stays out of the ears of your crew," Gandalf explained, putting his hands behind his back, "So it would be well appreciated that whatever is said in this room _stays_ in this room."

Kanan frowned. He could tell that both the elf and the wizard were concerned about something. And he imagined it involved the ring. Pretty much everything that had happened to them since they arrived in Middle Earth concerned the ring. The Jedi had to  
admit that this little piece of jewelry had to be a big deal if it was being hunted by the undead and put fear into the hearts of the planet's locals.

Slowly, Kanan nodded in understanding, "You have our word that we won't say anything."

Gandalf gave a small smile, "Thank you."

Elrond began to pace across the room, looking directly at the Twi'lek and Jedi, "Gandalf has told me of his concerns about your Empire coming to Middle Earth. I know you have assured us that it will not happen, but are you absolutely certain about that?"

Kanan and Hera gave each other a side glance. They wanted to promise these people that everything would be fine, but considering that the Empire was full of surprises, there was no guarantee that the world was safe.

However, Kanan did know that nobody else was here from where they came from. At least, he didn't think so. From the Shire to Rivendell, he didn't recall seeing any stormtroopers, ships,or Force weilders roaming about the lands. That was definitely  
a good sign.

Kanan sighed, "My lord, all I know is that we had waited for two months for Phoenix Squadron to come get us, and nobody ever came. So I'm assuming that as long as there areno rebel ships entering this system, we're safe."

Elrond frowned, "That isn't very reassuring."

Hera chuckled and placed her hands on her hips, "With the Empire, nothing is ever reassuring, Lord Elrond."

The elf staredat her for a couple seconds, and then nodded, "I see your point, General Syndulla."

Gandalf rose a brow, "Tell me, my friends, during your journey to Rivendell, did you see anything out of the ordinary? Like something that shouldn't have been there?"

Kanan shook his head uncertainly, "I'm not sure, Gandalf. A lot thatI've seen these past few weeks were those black riders."

"Same," Hera nodded in agreement, but she the heldup a finger, "Oh, but let's not forget about that mysterious tenth rider."

Suddenly, both Elrond and Gandalf's eyes shot open. They stared at the two crew leaders in alarm. Hera looked over at Kanan uncomfortably, wondering if she had said the wrong thing. Kanan himself wasn't so sure of why they looked shocked either.

Elrond crossed his arms, "What tenth rider?"

Kanan sighed, scratching his head, "Well..um...Strider was the one who pointed it out. Since Bree, there has been another cloaked rider that showed up to hunt Frodo. Apparently, it's a new member because the ranger had never seen him before."

Gandalf looked almost petrified by the Jedi's words and stuttered, "T-That's not possible."

"What do you mean?" Hera asked, confusedly, "I thought Frodo was on the brink of becoming a wraith himself-"

"No no," Gandalf interrupted, waving his hand and shaking his head, "That's not what I meant."

Elrond sat down on a nearby chair, staring off into nothingness, "He means that it is quite uncommon for there to be a new Nazgul without the Elves finding out about it first."

Kanan rose a brow. These Elves seemed to be very resourceful. He was a bit surprised that not even they knew about this tenth rider. As a matter of fact, he was surprised that not even _he_ had sensed him through the this new foe was  
able to conceal himself from the most powerful people in this world, including a Jedi Knight,then he had to be very dangerous.

Kanan remembered that Master Yoda had taught him that the Dark Side clouded everything. The future, new threats, and even the Sith. As Caleb Dume, he learned from Master Billaba that the Sith had been extinct for years. It was kind of hard for him to  
picture that because he had learned how to fight against the Sith all his life as a padawan learner. Little good that did.

Kanan proved that he had not been ready when he and Ezra fought againstDarth Vader on Lothal. Although, they had never seen the Sith Lord coming. Unfortunately, that was how the Dark Side worked. The Sith never liked to play fair. Could Sauron be  
the same way? The Elves kind of reminded Kanan of the Jedi a bit, minus the Force and lightsabers. If Sauron was capable of hiding this new servant of his from them, what other secrets did he have up his sleeve?

Kanan took a deep breath and asked quietly, "So what does this mean?"

Elrond's expression didn't change as he replied, "If Sauron has a new servant to hunt for the ring, then it is important that we keep our eyes open." He looked at Kanan and Hera, "I know that you are new to this world, and that it might be hard to keep  
this from your crew, but-"

Hera held up a reassuring hand, "We'll do it. We understand how serious this situation with the ring is."

Kanan nodded, "For everybody's sake, we know that all of this has to be keapt secret."

Gandalf and Elrond both nodded their thanks to the two. Just then, they heard voices coming from outside, so they walked out to the balcony. Down near one of Rivendell's waterfalls, they found Frodo, Sam, Rex, Zeb, Sabine, Ezra, and Chopper talking amongst  
themselves.

Kanan couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could see the serious lookson all of their faces. Obviously, they were thinking about something. He'd probably have to ask them about that later. After a few more minutes, Frodo walked off, followed  
by the others.

"His strength returns," Elrond commented, referring to the hobbit.

Gandalf frowned sadly and shook his head, "That wound will never fully heal. He will carry it the rest of his life."

Kanan was afraid he'd say that. He closed his eyes and quietly sighed. He wished Frodo didn't have to be dragged into all ofthis, but what was done was done. Kanan just wished it could've worked out differently, without the hobbit getting hurt in  
the process.

Elrond walked back into his study, "And yet to have come so far, still bearing the ring, the hobbit has shown extraordinary resilience to its evil."

"It was a burden he should never have had to bear," Gandalf replied, pitying the hobbit, "We can ask no more of Frodo."

"I agree," Kanan replied, "He's suffered enough since we left the Shire."

Elrond sighed irritably and faced them, "Gandalf, the enemy is moving. Sauron's forces are massing in the East. His eye is _fixed_ on Rivendell. And Saruman, you tell me, has betrayed us. Our list of allies grows thin."

Hera rose a brow, "Wait. Who's Saruman?"

Kanan, however, already knew the answer to that. He had heard Gandalf mention to Frodo about rushing off to see someone.

He looked at the wizard in shock, "He's the head of your order!"

Gandalf nodded sadly, "He is."

"Whoa whoa, wait a second," Hera exclaimed, "Are you saying that your leader has sided with Sauron?!"

Gandalf sighed as he smokedhis pipe, "That's exactly what I'm saying, Hera. And his treachery runs deeper than you know."He looked at Elrond, "He has done things for the Dark Lord that I have never seen before in my life. Saruman has crossed  
Orcs with Goblin men. He's breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. An army that can move in sunlight, and cover a great distance with speed. Saruman is coming for the ring."

Elrond looked horrified by his explanation, as well as Kanan and Hera. When Gandalf had spoken of this Saruman back in Bag End, they had thought him as a wise and trustworthy person. But to discover how easily this wizard could turn to the dark was quite  
alarming.

Kanan stroked his chin in thought, "Can't we fight him off?"

"Maybe," Gandalf replied, but then became bitter, "However, he's not alone. There is another individual there in Isengard with powers I have never seen before. He's a master of persuasion and deceit. Judging by his attire, I can only assume that he came  
from _Mordor_." He then had a look of guilt on his face, "Even I could not fight against him."

Kanan's brow furrowed. It seemed that the tenth rider wasn't the only one who had made an unexpected appearance in all of this chaos. And what did Gandalf mean by strange powers? A thought all of a sudden came to Kanan's head. Could it possibly be...the  
Force?

Elrond looked slightly overwhelmed and stood only a couple inches away from the wizard, "This evil cannot be concealed by the power of the Elves. _We do not have the strength to fight both Mordor and Isengard_!"

Hera frowned and nodded, "An army from two different lands is an awful lot to deal with. I doubt even this beautiful place could withstand an attack of that scale."

Gandalf obviously had hoped of a chance to hide the ring, but knew that this argument was going nowhere. Hera and Elrond made a good point, even if he didn't want to accept it in his heart. Slowly, Gandalf walked back out to the balcony, followed by Kanan.

"Gandalf," Elrond said regretfully, "The ring cannot stay here."

None of the other three were happy to hear that. But now another question came to Kanan's mind. If the Elves couldn't keep the ring in Rivendell, then what would they do with it? He knew that Elrond had summoned people from across the world to come here,  
but would that do much good? The Elf had told him and his crew that his people had never gotten along with them.

Speaking of which, Kanan all of a sudden felt something in the Force. There were tons of life forms approaching the city. He looked over to one ofRivendell's entrances. Gandalf and Hera followed his gaze. At that moment, a lone man, riding a horse,  
galloped in. He had slightly long brownhair and a goatee. However, unlike Strider, this man was full of pride and had the heart of a warrior. Kanan could feel it. The man was dressed in some sort of fancy attire, and had a huge shield hanging  
against his back.

From another entrance came a party of elves. Kanan could tell by their pointy ears. The elf in front of the group hopped off. He assumed he was the leader because the rest immediately dismounted as well. How many elves were there in Middle Earth? The  
lead elf had long blonde hair, and had a strangely shaped cloak over him. Kanan thought he could see a bow and arrow hanging from the side of the horse, which he found interesting to see. He hadn't seen many bows and arrows in the galaxy. According  
to the Temple records, the only known people to have them were the Nightsisters of Dathomir.

Finally, the last party entered Rivebdell. They were a group of short, but strong looking people. Kanan could tell that they weren't hobbit. None that he had seen in the Shire looked like that. Also, these people had long beards that hung down to the  
bottom of their chests. It took Kanan a little bit to realize that these were the dwarves. He watched as they pushed past the party of elves and made their way deeper into the city. Elrond wasn't kidding when he had said the elves and dwarves didn't  
get along.

Elrond watched from a window from within his study and then looked back at the three, "This peril belongs to all Middle Earth. They must decide now, how to end it." He then spoke directly to Gandalf, "The time of the Elves is over. My people are leaving  
these shores. Who will you look to when we're gone? The dwarves? They hide in their mountains, seeking riches. They care nothing for the troubles of others."

Gandalf turned to him, "It is in Men that we must place our hope."

Elrond's expression seemed to darken and he turned away. "Men? Men are weak."

Kanan tried not to look offended by that. Herapatted him on the shoulder and smirked. Elrond then walked into a large courtroom, followed by Gandalf and the the two crew leaders. Kanan sensed great regret and sorrow running through the elf's mind.  
He was remembering something. Something dark.

"Their race is failing," Elrond continued, "The blood of Numenor is all but spent, it's pride and dignity forgotten. It is _because_ of Men the ring survives."

"Because of Men?" Kanan asked, a bit surprised.

Elrond nodded, a frown upon his face, "I was there. I was there 3,000 years ago when Isildor took the ring." He did not see the startled expressions onKanan and Hera's faces about how many years ago, "I was there the day thestrength of Men  
failed."

Kanan wondered how old this Elf must be. He had been alive for 3,000 years, and he was nowhere near looking old! He had even lived longer than Bilbo! The name Isildor sounded familiar to him. It was briefly mentioned during Gandalf and Frodo's conversation.

Kanan cleared his throat, "Pardon me for asking, Lord Elrond, but who exactly was Isildor?"

Gandalf answered for the Elf, "He was the High King of Gondor during the 2nd Age of Middle Earth. And sadly the last king to ever reign that city."

"Why was that?" Hera asked curiously.

Gandalf offered the Twi'lek and the Jedi a seat, although he remained standing, "My friends, I think it is time for you to know our history between Sauron and Middle Earth. You have heard only part of it, but I think it best you know the full truth about  
what had happened all those years ago."

Both Hera and Kanan nodded. They were greatful that the time for a full explanation had finally come. Gandalf proceeded to tell them the full story, from start to finish. He did not leave a single thing out.

It began with the forging of the great rings. Three were given to the Elves, the wisest of their kind. Seven to the Dwarf Lords, who were all great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And _nine_. Nine rings were give to the race of Men, who  
above all else desired power. For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race.

But they were deceived. For the giver of this knowledge was evil's great servant, Sauron. And another ring was made. In the Land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, Sauron forged in secret a master ring to control all others. Into this ring, he poured  
his cruelty, his malice, and his willto dominate all life.

 _One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them._

 __

Those words made so much more sense to Kanan as he listened. He now understood the meaning of it, and it made his hair stand on end.

One by one, the free lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. A Last Alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor. On the slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle Earth.  
Leading the charge was Elendil, the King of Gondor, and his son, Isildor. They were highly respected, and almost every man within Gondor would follow them into battle.

They saw no fear as they fought against Mordor's forces. Despite the overwhelming amount of bloodthirsty Orcs, the Elves and Men held their own. And they had criedout in triumph as victory was near.

But the power of the ring could not be undone.

 _He_ came onto the battlefield. Sauron the Deceiver. He towered above everybody, Men, Elves and Orcs alike. The ring was on his finger. With it, he slaughtered thousands of his enemies with merely one swing of his arm. The ring gave him power far  
greater than any normal man on the earth.

King Elendil saw that they were losing, and decided to do something about it. He charged at the Dark Lord, but fell victim to his mighty blow. The King died there, shattering the hopes of his army. However, it was not the end. It was in this moment, when  
all hope had faded, that Isildor took up his father's sword and cut the ring from Sauron's hand!

Without it, the Dark Lord was vulnerable, and exploded into nothing. This also resulted in the fall of his army of Orcs. Sauron, the enemy to the free peoples of Middle Earth, was defeated. However, his spirit endured, since his life force was bound to  
the ring. There was only one way to destroy it. The ring had to be cast back into the fires of Mount Doom.

Kanan looked at Elrond, "What stopped you?"

Elrond looked down, guilt written all over his face, "When Sauron fell, the ring came into the hands of Isildor. I knew right then and there that we had to take action. I led Isildor into the heart of Mount Doom, where the ring was forged. The one place  
where it could be destroyed. I told him to cast it into the fire." His jaw clenched as he continued on, "But his gaze remained focused on the ring. It was almost as if it had him under some sort of trance. I ordered him to destroy it, but he refused  
and left, ignoring my shouts for him to come back. It should've ended that day, but evil was allowed to endure."

"And little good it did him," Gandalf added, shaking his head, "Not long after that battle, they were attacked by another party of Orcs. Isildor tried to escape, using the ring to make himself invisible, but it betrayed him, purposely _slipping_ off  
his finger. And it led to his death."

Hera and Kanan were quiet for a few minutes, taking in everything that they had just heard. Everything had become so clear to them now, and they understood why Sauron sought this ring so badly. They could only imagine what this beautiful world would look  
like if darkness took over. A thought that was very unwelcome to their minds.

Hera sighed, "Something has to be done about the ring. We can't let Sauron get hold of it."

"And we won't," Elrond answered reassuringly, "The Council will decide the ring's fate, and we will see to it that it is accomplished."

"It probably won't be a simple task," Kanan replied with a frown, "I doubt Sauron will make it easy."

Gandalf lightly chuckled, "Nothing is ever as simple as we like it to be, Kanan Jarrus. Sometimes it takes a difficult decision to do the right thing."

Kanan rose a brow at that remark. There was something about that last thing the wizard had said that sounded...strange. Was he just stating it as a fact, or was it advice? Knowing Gandalf, it was probably advice. But for what?

Just then, Sabine's voice came over Hera's comm, "Specter 2, do you copy?"

Hera reached down, grabbed the comlink, and held it up, "I'm here Specter 5. What's up?"

"Well, um, we were wondering if we could have a word with you and Specter 1," Sabine replied, "if you're finished, that is."

Hera glanced up at Elrond and Gandalf, wondering if it was a good idea to leave right now.

Gandalf smiled and nodded, "You may take your leave, my friends."

Kanan and Hera bowed to the two elders, biding them farewell for the time being. They then walked out of the study and down the stone stairs.

Elrond looked at Gandalf with concern, "Do you think it wise to include them in this?"

The wizard nodded, "I have no doubt that their help will be appreciated." He then looked back at him, "We both know what has to be done about the ring."

"Indeed," Elrond agreed. He then sighed, "I hope we are making the right decision."

Gandalf looked back and watched as Kanan and Hera disappeared from sight.

"So do I," he muttered.

* * *

The crew of _the Ghost_ were waiting for Hera and Kanan in Rivendell's main garden. Each one of them were debating on how they were going to saytheir thoughts to them. Ezra and Zeb wanted to _not_ be the ones who would do the talking.

They had given this a lot of thought, and they knew that the time had come to ask their leaders the question. The one question that had been on their minds ever since they left Hobbiton.

Kanan and Hera walked into the garden, and immediately everybody jumped to their feet.

"Alright, what is it?" Hera asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

The crew exchanged uncomfortable glances at one another. Kanan rosea brow. They were acting really funny.

"What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.

Rex sighed and decidedto be the one to draw the short straw, "Generals...we kind of had a little chat while you were at your meeting with our hosts."

Hera frowned, "Oh?"

"Well," Sabine said, butting in, "technically Sam was the one who brought it up earlier to Frodo, but what he said got us thinking and...well.." she scratched her head uncertainty.

Ezra interrupted, "We were wondering when _we_ would be returning to _the Ghost_?"

Kanan thought that was what was going on. He looked down, not sure what to say. He knew that the question was going to be asked eventually, but he wished it wasn't this soon.

"Yeah," Zeb nodded in agreement, "I mean, we did what Gandalf wanted. We helped Frodo get the ring to Bree, and now we got it here under the protection of these elf people." The Lasat then tilted his head and shrugged, "Isn't our work here done? Can't  
we go home now?"

"And justhow are we going to do that, guys?" Hera demanded, "We got no parts to repair the ship, and I doubt the hobbits magically got advancedintechnology while we've been gone."

Kanan nodded, "We might've gonethrough a lot with thoseblack riders, but we're still stranded on this planet."

Zeb scratched his head, "Well couldn't we at least return to Bag End and wait for the fleet again?"

Hera rose a brow, knowing that there was something more to this, "Why am I getting the impression that all of you are wanting to get away from here as fast as possible?"

Kanan could feel it too. When Sabine had helped Arwen deliver Frodo and Ezra to Rivendell, he could sense that their mood had changed, but he wasn't sure why until now.

"The incident with the black riders shook us up," Sabine explained, being fully honest with their leaders. "That little piece of jewelry Frodo's been carrying this whole trip has brought us nothing but pain."

"That's true," Kanan agreed, frowning at her, "and that's why something has to be done about the ring."

Sabine pointed at Ezra, "Kanan, yourapprentice almost got himself killed! Imagine what'll happen to the rest of us if we get more involved in this!"

Rex placed a hand on the Mandalorian's shoulder, telling her to calm down, "With all due respect, Kanan, as a clone I'm always eager for a fight, but I have to agree with Sabine on this one." He pointed up to the hobbits' quarters, "We are way out  
of our league here. We're used to battling the Empire, not an invincible Dark Lord and his undead warriors. We may have advanced weapons unlike the primitives here, but that doesn't mean we can't get killed. Ezra stabbed a rider with his _lightsaber_ ,  
and almost died. If a weapon like that can't take down those things, I don't know if our weapons can do any better."

Kanan honestly couldn't believe what he was hearing. Never, in his life, had he seen his crew so eager to run away from a fight. It was kind of ironic that he had been the one who was against leaving the Shire in the beginning and now it was them  
that weren't wanting to get involved any further. Plus, it had been Ezra's idea to help Frodo out in the first place.

However, Kanan kind of wondered himself why they were still here. Sabine was right about there being no guarantee that they'd make it out alive. They never had much to worry about when battling the Empire, but the only difference was that _the Ghost_ was  
fast enough to help them get away. With the ship damaged, they were going nowhere fast. There wereno quick escapes this time. On this planet, they were vulnerable to its dark forces. Kanan would normally have them return to the ship.

Yet, there was something holding him back. He thought about that little ring, and the damage that it had already caused. He didn't know this for sure, but he could guess that many had lost their lives to the Ringwraiths as they searched for the ring.  
How many more lives had to be lost before this was over?Just because the ring was being guarded by the Elves didn't mean that Sauron wouldn't stop trying to get it. It was like the Force kept telling Kanan that he couldn't run away from  
this. He felt as if it was his duty to help the people of this world.

Kanan looked at the crew and toldthem to pull up a seat. When they had done so, he sat down and leaned down, covering his face with his right hand. There was a brief silence within the garden.

Finally, Kanan let out a low sigh and sat back up, "You are all right. We don't know what we're dealing with. And I doubt that we ever will." He gave a light smile, "But actually I should be thanking you. When we started in this journey, I was hesitant  
out of fear of you guys getting hurt. Unfortunately, one of my fears came true." He looked over at Ezra sympathetically when he said that and then continued. "However, I've also seen many things as well. I saw the everyday deeds of ordinary folk.  
People who have no idea that a great darkness could engulf them at any second. And I ask myself, 'What will become of these people should Sauron win?'"

The expressions on the crews faces changed from fear to guilt. They looked down at the ground, remembering back to when they first crashed into Middle Earth. They remembered Hobbiton, the party for Bilbo, Bag End, the nights at _The Green Dragon_.  
So many pleasant memories that could become no more. They all knew in their hearts that Kanan was right.

Hera sat next to the Jedi and then spoke, "I say we stay in Rivendell. At least until the ring's fate is decided. The delegates have arrived, which means the Council will be happening sometime soon. Elrond hasrequested us to be a part of it.  
After this, _then_ we'll decide where to go from here."

Ezra, Zeb, Sabine, and Rex looked at each other, but then slowly nodded in agreement. They could do that. And honestly, they were very eager to know what was going tohappen to the ring.

With that being said, the crew of _the Ghost_ relaxed. Some of them explored more of what Rivendell had to offer. Others decided to rest, specifically Hera, Kanan, and Rex. Night would be falling over the land soon, and there was to be a great  
feast held to welcome the delegates. The crew found their appetites to have returned, especially now with the Ringwraiths off their backs.

However, even though most of the crew felt reassured that the ring would no longer be a problem, Kanan had a strange feeling in his heart that this was _far_ from over.

 **Sorry for taking so long to update guys, I've just been extremely busy. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter though. As usual, please review and tell me your thoughts. :) Till next time. :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 22: The Feast and the Council**

The feast that night was...unique. Ezra got the impression that the Elves loved nature, and everything that grew in it. Why did he think this? Because the dinner was basically just salad. There was literally no meat. All he saw was a bunch of green  
leafy looking things. Merry and Pippin explained to the apprentice that it was called lettuce.

The hobbits enjoyed it, but the rest of the guests weren't as greatful, especially the delegates. Zeb didn't want to touch his food and just sulked at it. However, he didn't want to be rude so he pretended to eat it, not really stuffing anything in his  
mouth besides the little tomatoes within the salad.

Sabine, being a Mandalorian, was used to meat, so this salad didn't suit well for her. She preferredsomething steaming hot that had a taste to it. The salad had no taste at all! However, Hera advised her to be polite and eat it anyways.

The Twi'lek captain actually loved the meal. As a child, she had been used to eating fruits. That was honestly the only thing they had on Ryloth. The rest of the stuff had been taken to the Seperatist leader, Wat Tambor, when the Confederacy invaded Hera's  
home world. Unlike Ryloth, though, the Elves had tons of food for their guests, and she enjoyed it.

Rex and Kanan were expressionless as they ate their meal. They didn't express their opinion to anybody throughout the feast. Ezra smirked, having a big hunch that the two weren't very fond of it. After all, Rex had been on the planetSellous for  
a timewith Gregor and Wolffe, slinging for didn't know much about clones or what they were like during the war, but he suspected they weren't too fond of meatless dinners.

Chopper wasn't present for the feast. Hera thought the astromech would attract too many startled glances. Besides, they were no doubt going to receive strange looks anyways from the delegates.

Ezra didn't get a chance to talk to the delegates, but he overheard their names. The name of the lone man who arrived was Boromir, Captain of Gondor, and son to the city's stewart, Lord didn't say much to the Elves or any of the  
other delegates. In fact, Ezra just saw him sitting by himself, deep in thought.

The leader of the newparty of elves was Legolas Greenleaf, son of King Thranduil of the Forest of Mirkwood. Ezra had never heard of any of these places nor the names of its inhabitants, but he got the impression that Legolas and King Thranduil were  
both very important people.

Then there was the dwarf, Gimli. He was the son of Gloin, who was also present at the feast. Ezra was fascinated to learn that Gloin was one of the 13 dwarves that Bilbo had travelled with to the Lonely Mountain. Evidentially dwarves could live for a  
long time too. It was curious to Ezra. A whole lot of the people in this world seemed to live longer than 100 years, except for a majority of the Men and Hobbits of course.

It was during the feast when Ezra finally saw Strider again. The ranger looked a bit cleaner than when they had been going through the wild. He even seemed a bit less serious. Ezra was shocked to see him actually laughingas he went into deep conversation  
with Legolas. The two acted like they were old friends. Well, Strider was raised in Rivendell for a time, so it'd make sense.

However, Ezra also caught sight of something else during the feast. He saw the way Strider and Arwen looked at each other. Those two were more than just friends. Ezra didn't have to use the Force to figure that out. He was a bit surprised that the ranger  
was in a relationship. No offense to him, but hedidn't seem like the type for love.

When the feast had ended, and the guests decided to talk amongst themselves, Ezra decided to take a walk along one of the streams by the building. He was happy to finally enjoy the pleasures of night. For so long, they had been focused on the black riders,  
but now it was as if they were back in the Shire. Except, Rivendell was a far more beautiful sight. The sound of the crickets were welcome to Ezra's ears once again, as well as the sound of running water from the stream.

There was not a cloud in the sky, so the moon and stars were clearly visible to the naked eye. Ezra wasn't sure if he was imagining this or not, but the stars seemed to shine brighter here than any other place in this world. Perhaps it was because of  
the Elves admiration of the stars. Bilbo had told him about his journey into Mirkwood 60 years ago. The Wood Elves there held a feast called The Feast of Starlight. They didn't consider the stars as a cold light that was remote and far away. To them,  
it was memory. Precious and pure. Ezra thought that kind of interesting. He never thought much of the stars. He had seen more than enough stars while traveling through space onboard _the Ghost_.

Ezra's eyes went to the water. It was so clear that it was almost like a mirror. Sure, there were a couple ripples here and there, but the young Jedi could see the stones at the bottom and the little fish swimming through it. He knelt down and found himself  
tracing his hand along the water, feeling the cool wetness touching his fingertips. He then looked at his reflection. The face he saw in the water wasn't the same face of a boy who had arrived to a strange new world. Ezra was bewildered to see that  
he was a bit rough looking. He had another cut on his face besides the scar given to him by theGrand Inquisitor. He had dark circles under his eyes, indicating that he was indeed exhausted. He never imagined they would've come this far.

Then, Ezra all of a sudden sawthe reflection of Sabine's face and jumped when he found the Mandalorian standing right next to him.

"Sabine, do you _always_ have to sneak up like that?!" he exclaimed, scared half to death.

Sabine shrugged, "I don't have to," she then gave a deceitful grin, "but it's fun, especially when it's with you."

Ezra rolled his eyes, "Of course it is."

He then stood up and began to walk along the stream again. Sabine, seeing nothing better to do, decided to walk along beside him.

She crossed her arms, "You know, you should be resting. What would Kanan say if he caught you walking about?"

Ezra groaned and spread his arms out, "Sabine, look at me. I'm _fine_! Kanan can't expect me to stay in a bed forever. I want to look around this place before we leave."

Sabine rose a brow, "You actually think we're going to return to _the Ghost_?"

"Of course," Ezra nodded, looking at her confusedly, "Why wouldn't we?"

Sabine sighed and shrugged, "I don't know. It sounds like Kanan and Hera want to help these people."

"Truthfully," Ezra replied, throwing a small rock into the water, "I don't see much else _to_ do. I mean, we got the ring here to Rivendell. Now all the Council has to do is decide what'll be done about it and that'll be that. Mission accomplished."

"You think it'll be that simple?" Sabine asked, kind of uncertainly.

Ezra looked at her, and then looked down at the ground. Did he want it to be that simple? Kind of. After all they had been through, maybe battling the Empire wasn't so bad after all.

However, all he could say was, "I don't know."

Sabine nodded, understanding. She then placed a hand on his shoulder, "Well, whatever happens tomorrow, maybe it's for the best."

Ezra nodded, although he didn't say anything. He all of a sudden sat down beside the stream. Sabine sat down next to him and gave him a questionable look. The apprentice looked like he was trying to say something, but didn't seem to be finding the right  
words.

"Hey, thank you, by the way," Ezra finally said, "For helping me."

Sabine rose a brow and shrugged, "I didn't do too much. All I did was ride you here."

Ezra lightly smiled at her, "You protected me from those riders. And you made sure to keep me alive. I honestly couldn't thank you enough."

Sabine looked a bit bewildered by his words. Did he just give her an actual compliment? She'd never heard him say stuff, unless it was flirting or sarcasm. The Ezra sitting before her had changed a great deal over the years, especially now. However, Sabine  
didn't want to look flattered, so she just simplysmiled back.

"You're welcome," she said, patting him on the shoulder.

They went silent after that. Neither one of them knew what else to say, and as the minutes ticked by, it was starting to become a little awkward. But all of a sudden, they heard someone come out from the bushes.

Both the Jedi and Mandalorian turned around to see Zeb walking up to them. The Lasat was gulping down the last of whatever was in his cup. Once he was finished, he simply tossed it over his shoulder, not caring if it'd make the Elves mad or not.

"What're you two doin all the way out here?" he asked.

Ezra shrugged. "Just chatting. Why are you?"

Zeb pointed back at the feast, "Kanan and Hera were wondering where you two were at. I got the short straw to come find you."He tilted his head back. "We probably should get back there."

Ezra shook his head a chuckled, "Not me.I'm not hungry. Definitely not for Elvish food."

"Me neither," Zeb agreed andthen he grinned, "but their wine isn't too bad, though."

Ezra frowned at the Lasat. "Wine? Seriously?"

Zeb shrugged, "What? Can't a Lasat enjoy something strong for once? I haven't had wine since my days on Lasan."

"Yeah," Ezra smirked, "and look howyou turned out."

Zeb glared at him and showed him his first, "I'd watch what I was saying if I were you, kid. You don't want to get injured again, do you?"

Sabine just rolled her eyes and looked back at the stream. However, when she did so, she rose a curious brow. There was a small stone bridge that went over the stream. Walking along said bridge wereStrider and Arwen.

"Hey guys, look," Sabine whispered to Ezra and Zeb.

They both looked up and saw what the Mandalorian was seeing. Strider stopped at the middle of the bridge and faced Arwen, putting her hands into his. Their heads went closer together and they startedtalking. Zeb's jaw dropped in utter disbelief.  
Ezra's eyes went wide. And Sabine looked shocked, but also happy at seeing this. There was no denying that these two were in love.

"Alright," Zeb muttered, disgusted, "shouldn't we go back to the others, now?"

Sabine looked at them. She had another deceitful grin on her face, and Ezra had a bad feeling.

"Why don't we get a closer look," she suggested.

Ezra looked a bit uncomfortable, "Uh, do you really think that's a good idea?"

Sabine sighed, "Oh come on! Don't tell me you're not curious to hear what they're saying?"

She had a point. Ezra had seen Strider and Arwen at the feast, and he was a bit curious to find out how serious this was. Simply grinning, he followed Sabine as they crept along the stream. Zeb just looked at the two as if they had gone mad. He wanted  
to call themback, but was afraid the ranger and Elf would hear him. Growling irritably, he went after them.

The three crew members could hear Strider and Arwen talking in that strange Elvish language so they didn't know what they were saying yet. Ezra hoped though that they could talk in English soon. Sabine elbowed the apprentice and the Lasat and pointed  
to a tree beside the bridge. The rather large branches confidentially hung over the bridge above the two lovers.

Zeb shook his head to not do it, but Ezra and Sabine ignored him and began to silently climb up. He didn't follow up, though. He could hear Strider and Arwen just fine from where he was at. If those two idiotic kids wanted to get themselves caught, then  
he'd let them do so. The Lasat rolled his eyes when he saw Ezra and Sabine on the branch right over th bridge. He hoped that the tree was strong.

Arwen spoke once again in Elvish, tracing her hand along Strider's face. Ezra then heard her say something that sounded like a question. Strider traced his hand along a necklace around her neck. It was if strange design, yet beautiful.

The ranger finally spoke in basic, "You said you'd bound yourself to me. Forsaking the immortal life of your people."

"And to that I hold," Arwen replied with a smile, "I would rather share one lifetime with you, than face all the ages of this world alone."

Ezra watched asthe Elf maiden then removed the necklace from her neck. He rose a brow, not sure what was going on. However, his question was answered when she put the necklace into Strider's hands. The ranger looked down at it in shock.

"I choose a mortal life," Arwen whispered.

Strider looked up at her and shook his head, "You cannot give me this."

Arwen simply replied, "It is mine to give to whom I will." She then moved her face closer to his and added, "Like my heart."

Sabine smiled at this scene, thinking it sweet. Zeb just rolled his eyes again and turned away, knowing fully well what was going to happen next. Ezra knewas well, and turned his head. At that moment, Strider and Arwen's lips met and they gave each  
other a long passionate kiss.

Zeb was more than ready to return to the feast and wanted to call the two delinquents down from the bloody tree. But before he could do so, the Lasat thought he suddenly heard a crack. He froze, not making a sudden move. A few seconds later, he heard  
another crack. He looked up and realized to his horror that the tree branch upon which Ezra and Sabine were sitting on was going to break.

Zeb reached for his comlink and whispered, "Hey, kid. You and Sabine need to get off of there; that branch is going to-!"

Too late. Before Ezra and Sabine knew what was happening, they found themselves falling down and crashing into the stream. Strider and Arwen broke from their kiss and looked at the two in alarm. Zeb hid behind the tree, not wanting them to spot him too.

Sabine sat up in the stream and groaned irritably. One, her hair was soaking wet. And two, it was probably gonna ruin the paint job on her hair. Ezra was more concerned about the glare Strider wasgiving them, indicating that he wanted an explanation  
for why they were up in the tree.

Both of them were speechless.

Ezra then gave a sly grin and waved, "Uh...hi, Strider! Nice night for a swim, isn't it?"

Before Strider could say anything, Zeb walked out from behind the tree, and stared at Ezra and Sabine, disappointedly.

"What did I tell you two?!" the Lasat demanded, "I told you it was a bad idea to pick apples up there!"

Strider looked at him and frowned, not believing him, "There aren't any apples in that tree."

Zeb rose both of his brows and then laughed nervously, "Right. And that's why I said they shouldn't climb up it." He pulled Ezra and Sabine to their feet and patted them on the shoulder, "Thanks for the advice, Strider. We'll leave you two be."

He quickly then turned around and pushed the Jedi and Mandalorian back to the feast. Strider just looked at them and shook his head before walking down the bridge with Arwen.

Ezra looked at the Lasat and rose a brow, "Picking apples?"

"Zip it!" Zeb hissed. 

* * *

When the sun came upthe next morning, the crew of _the Ghost_ rose from their beds and got themselves ready. The time had finally come at last. The Council of Elrond was about to begin. They said very little, for their thoughts were on  
the ring and what the Council was planning to do with it.

They didn't have to dress formerly, much to their relief. Elrond had explained to them that all free people's had their own custom. The Elves and Dwarves would look very much the same. Kanan was debating on whether or not it was a good idea for him and  
Ezra to bring their lightsabers to this gathering. Most of the delegates would no doubt have their weapons by their side, but the only difference was that those weren't laser blades that could cut down anything in their path. The Jedi Knightwanted  
these people to know that they were on their side.

However, after a few minutes of arguing, Ezra decided to bring his along. Kanan on the other hand left his in the room. His young apprentice still had a lot to learn about the Jedi being the keepers of the peace. He didn't bother to argue any further  
though. There was already enough stuff on all their minds. Hera decided that it would be best for Chopper to not attend the Council. The delegates would already be too concerned about the ring. Seeing a droid would probably startlethem more.

When they entered the Council chambers, the crew was a bit alarmed at how many there were. At first, it seemed like the delegates were very few when they arrived in Rivendell. Judging by all the filled seats, though, they were all able to see that this  
was a serious matter. All the Dwarves were seated together, shooting glares to all the Elves around them, specifically Legolas's party.

Ezra didn't get why they seemed to hate those elves the most, until Bilbo explained to him about how they got capturedby Legolas's father when they had journied into Mirkwood 60 years ago. Ever since then, the dwarf, Gloin, had held a deep grudge  
against the Wood Elves. Gimli seemed to follow in his father's footsteps.

The crew sat on the right end of the Council chamber, sitting next to Frodo and Gandalf. Legolas and his Elves were seated next to them, then the Dwarves, then Boromir in the middle, and Strider and the rest of the Elves of Rivendell on the other end.  
Elrond was seated in front of the whole group, with two other elves sitting on either side of him. Ezra suspected they were his sons. There was a round stone table in the center of the chamber, but nobody paidmuch attentionto that. _Yet_.

Finally, Elrond stood up and spoke aloud, acknowledging all present, "Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will  
unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this _one_ doom."

Zeb leaned over and whispered to Kanan, "Well that's very comforting."

The Jedi just shot him a disappointed glare and advised him to be quiet. A couple of the Elves seemed to hear the Lasat, and looked at him as well. Ezra wasn't sure what exactly they were thinking. Elves seemed to be a whole lot harder to read.

Elrond looked at Frodo and pointed his hand towards the round table, "Bring forth the ring, Frodo."

Frodo glanced at Gandalf, who nodded that it was alright, and then slowly stood up. The small hobbit cautiously walked up, and with a little hesitation, placed the ring on the table. Once that had happened, a series of mumbles could be heard amongst everyone  
within the Council. The crew of _the Ghost_ found their gazes transfixed on the ring. Kanan and Ezra shifted around in their seats uncomfortably, feeling the darkness within it. Rex glared at it, not sure how to react to its power. Zeb decided  
to shift his eyes around the room, pretending the ring wasn't there. And Heraand Sabine looked down to the floor.

Boromir looked at the ring in awe and wonder, muttering, "So it is true."

The rest of the delegates seemed at bit uneasy as they stared at the ring. Ezra had never really gotten a good look at it until now. Even though he saw a glimpse of it in Bree, that whole ordeal didn't really count. But now looking at it for so long gave  
him so many mixed up emotions. The same happened for the rest of the crew too. For some reason, they had a slight desire in their hearts to examine it closer. Apparently, Boromir did too because he stood up. His eyes remained fixed on the ring.

"In a dream," he saidto everyone as he slowly walked to the table, "I saw the Eastern sky grow dark, but in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying, 'Your doom is near at hand. Isildor's bein is found.'"

Kanan frowned at the Gondorian and shot Gandalf a questionable look. The wizard seemed a bit worried too. Boromir then reached out his hand to grab the ring.

Elrond stood up, "Boromir!"

Suddenly, before anybody could say anything else, Gandalf rose from his seat, chanting in the lowest and most starting voice Ezra had ever heard. Boromir stepped back, alarmed. The whole entire sky seemed to go dark as the wizard continued to chant. The  
crew looked at him, both baffled and horrified. They had never heard him give such a scary outburst like this before.

Boromir quickly backed away from the table and collapsed back in his seat. Everybody, besides the crew, seemed to know this chant because the closed their eyes in dread. Finally, once Boromir seemed to have gotten the message, Gandalf stopped chanting.  
Immediately, light returned and everything became calm once more.

Elrond looked at the wizard and exclaimed, "Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!"

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond," Gandalf huffed, "For the black speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West!" He then looked at Boromir as he sat back down, "The ring is altogether evil!"

The Gondorian, however, didn't seem convinced and instead shook his head, "It is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this ring?!"

Hera shook her head at him. Ezra could see that the Twi'lek didn't seem real fond of this man. Honestly, he wasn't either. This guy seemed a bit stubborn really.

Boromir stood back up and paced the room, "Long has my father, the stewart of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people, all your lands kept safe!" He then looked at Elrond and said pridefully, "Give Gondor the weapon of the  
enemy. Let us _use_ it against him."

Strider finally spoke, "You cannot weildit! None of us can!" He let the Gondorian look at him before he continued, "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

Boromir scoffed at him, crossing his arms over his chest, "And what would a _ranger_ know of this matter?"

Sabine clenched her fists when she heard that and immediately stood up from her seat. The elf, Legolas, did too, not seeming too happy either. However, he looked over at the Mandalorian and nodded for her to say what she wanted to say.

Sabine pointed to Strider, "If it wasn't for him, the ring _wouldn't_ even be in our hands now! He made sure it was brought safely to Rivendell! Those Ringwraiths would've already delivered it to Sauron by nowif he hadn't shown up!" She walked  
up to Boromir and jabbed him in the chest with her finger, "How dare you question him! I could honestly ask what a man like _you_ would know of this matter!"

Boromir seemed taken aback by her outburst and didn't know what to say. Ezra and Zeb covered their mouths to hide their silent laughter. Hera, Kanan, and Rex seemed a bit surprised that the Mandalorian would come to the ranger's defense like that. Strider  
held up his hand, telling her that it was alright. Shooting Boromir one more glare, Sabine returned to her seat.

"And he is no mere ranger," Legolas added, "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

Ezra rose a brow to that. They knew Strider's name?! Barlamin Butterbur had told themhe had another name, but the young Jedi didn't expect to learn it so soon.

Boromir's eyes widened, "Aragorn? _This_ is Isildor's heir?!"

Kanan and Hera glanced at each other in shock. The rest of the crew looked at them confusedly, wondering why they looked so alarmed.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas replied.

That got them. Immediately, the crew's eyes, including Frodo's, looked at the ranger in bewilderment. The whole entire trip, they had been in the presence of royalty?! That was impossible! Ezra never expected that Strider (err, Aragorn) was actually an  
heir to the throne. He didn't really look like the type that would be king.

At that moment, the whole crew seemed to develop a deeprespectfor him. They had not realized what kind of man he was. Well, honestly they couldn't help but look at him differently now. Aragorn looked at Legolas and said something in Elvish.  
Ezra suspected he said for him to sit down, becausethat's what the Elf immediately did.

Boromir looked at Legolas and scowled, "Gondor has no king." He then glared at Aragorn, "Gondor _needs_ no king."

Okay, now Ezra was dislikingthis man more and more. He had to admit, he hadn't trusted the ranger as much during the trip to Rivendell, but he still saved their lives. Plus, the young Jedi foundhimself beginningto trustAragorn  
more now, especially since he found out this guy was a king. Boromir sat back down in his seat, shooting one more glare at the ranger, and then looked over at Sabine and the rest _the Ghost_ crew. He could see several of them shooting disappointed  
glares at him.

The Gondorian frowned and looked at Elrond, "If I may, why are these strangers here in this Council? What right do they have to wonder into our business?"

"We are friends, captain," Hera replied, "This situation with the ring concerns us just as much as it doesyou."

"I doubt that very much," Boromir snorted, "I have travelled through several of the free lands over the years, and I have never seen folk like you. Especially with such ridiculous attire."

Zeb clenched his fists and scowled, "Ridiculous?!"

Boromir ignored the Lasat's outburst andcontinued, looking around at the Council, "Who even are they? For all we know, they could be spies for Sauron!"

"They are not spies, Lord Boromir," Elrond harshly replied, "They helped the hobbit deliver the ring to Rivendell. I trust them, and you should to. I requested that theyattend this Council, for they are as involved in this as we all are."

Boromir didn't respond immediately, and just shot a dirty look to the crew. "That may be so, but that doesn't mean I trust them. If they are not spies, then who, prey tell, are they?"

Ezra all of a sudden stood up and abruptly answered, "We are rebels. We fight an evil government known as the Empire. They spread fear and terror across the galaxy, and it is our intention to restore freedom from its evil rule. We help those in need,  
and that includes this world."

The Gondorian scoffed, "Do you even hear yourself, boy?! What you speak of is pure nonsense! Rebels, Empire, gakaxy. It's all nonsense!"

"Yet here we stand before you!" Hera snapped, glaring at him. "Is that not proof enough?!"

Boromir laughed sarcastically. His eyes went to every member of _the Ghost_ crew. He first looked at Kanan, who met his gaze evenly without showing any expression. He then looked at Rex. The clone just shot him a dirty look and had his jaw clenched.  
He then looked at Zeb, who just glared at him and clenched his big first even harder. The man's eyes then rested on Ezra, and the young padawan looked down at the ground, pretending to see something interesting. And finally, Sabine and Hera.

"You call yourselves 'rebels', yet none of you even resemble a rebel," Boromir replied with clear dissatisfaction, "All I see is an old man, a child, two women who are dressed in the most inappropriate manner, a big purple creature, and another simple  
looking man." He then gave a passive wave, "These folk look nothing like the warrior type."

Sabine suddenly stood up,shot the Gondorian a piercing glare, and tilted her head, "Would you care to elaborate on what you meant by 'inappropriate'?"

Boromir seemed to have no problem with it as he answered, "You two arenoble women, despite your obviously different species," Hera clenched her fists when he saidthat, "and you two are dressed like warriors. In my mind, women should not have  
the right to be in a war."

Ezra scooted his seat away from Sabine when the man finished saying that. He could already feel the sudden rage within the Mandalorian, and he didn't want to be close to her when she was angry.

Sabine's jaw dropped and she pointed a finger at the Gondorian furiously, "That is the biggest bunch of poodoo that I have ever heard! I have _every_ right to do whatever I want to do, sleemo! I'm a Mandalorian, a warrior bound by honor! If I wasnot  
so, you'd be a dead man!"

Kanan stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder, "Sabine, stand down! Arguing with him won't make things any better."

Sabine looked at the Jedi, and then back at Boromir. Part of her wanted to blast this guy into a Sarlacc, if this world even _had_ a Sarlacc. However, she realized that Kanan had a point. Shooting one more hateful glare at Boromir, she sat back down,  
scratching the arm of her chair with her fingers. Ezra just grinned at her and then looked at the Gondorian.

Boromir had fallen silent, and didn't know what else to say. However, Ezra all of a sudden stood up. All eyes turned towards him.

"You want proof that we can handle our own?" the young apprentice asked as he rose his hand, "Here's your proof."

The delegates eyes went wide when they saw Boromir's chair begin to mysteriously float into the air. The man jumped out of his seat and stared on in bewilderment. Ezra closed his eyes, and concentrated on the Force. He made the chair float right above  
the Gondorian's head, barley touching his hair.

Gandalf seemed the most shocked out of everyone there. He looked on as if this power was familiar to him. Without warning, Ezra dropped to seat atop Boromir. The man slipped to the floor, glared at the padawan, and then hoisted himself up and sat back  
down. Gandalf eyed both Kanan and Ezra, his eyes slightly narrowed.

Gimli's eyes went wide with shock, " _Sorcery_!"

 __

Ezra rolled his eyes and grinned at the dwarf, "It's called the Force. It's an energyfield created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together."

Zeb leaned over and whispered, "Yeah, I don't think anybody here knows what that means, kid." The Lasat then muttered to himself, "I sure don't."

Elrond cleared his throat and nodded at Ezra, "Thank you, Mr. Bridger. You may sit down now."

Ezra bowed politely and then returned to his seat. Kanan frowned at his apprentice and just shook his head, not really fond of the idea of presenting their powers openly to the Council. Neither of them saw Gandalf eye them curiously. However, his immediately  
looked away when the two glanced at him.

"Aragorn is right," the wizard said aloud, returning to the original topic, "We cannot use the ring."

Elrond stood up, looking at all the delegates, "You have only one choice. The ring must be destroyed."

Several people within the Council nodded in agreement, except for Boromir. The Gondorian placed a hand on his forehead and seemed agitated. Ezra rose a brow at him, wondering why he was so desperate to take the ring to his city. What good would it do  
him anyways? Aragorn had clearly said that the ring only answered to Sauron.

Ezra couldn't deny though that the ring sure had a way of ensnaring people. It seemed to have a habit of making people obsessed with it. He couldn't tell if Boromir was completely obsessed, but he could feel a little bit oftemptation within the  
man. Gimli all of a sudden stood up, grabbing his axe.

"Well what're we waiting for?!" the dwarf asked.

Before anybody knew what was happening, Gimli brought is axe down upon the ring, but to their shock, they saw the dwarf's weapon suddenly explode into many pieces. Gimli then fell back and crashed onto the ground. Everybody looked to the table to see  
if the ring had been cut in half, but most of them were surprised to find that it was still in one piece! As if nothing had happened! Kanan eyed the ring suspiciously. That blow should've destroyed it. What in the world happened?!

Ezra stood up once more and smirked, "Well of course _that_ didn't work." He ignited his lightsaber, ignoring everybody's look of awe at the weapon,"But this could."

He was about to bring his saber down upon the ring, but suddenly felt Zeb grab him by the wrist and pull him back.

"Oh no you don't!" the Lasat hissed, shoving the kid down in his seat, "You just recovered from being hurt, you idiot! It's not gonna happen a second time!"

Ezra just sighed disappointedly and reattached his weapon to his belt. The delegates looked over at the two with amusement, before returning their gaze to Elrond as he spoke.

The elf looked at Gimli, who was being helped back to his feat, "The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here posses. The ring was made in the fires of _Mount Doom_. Only there can it be unmade." He then spoke directly  
to everyone in the room, "It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from wince it came! One of you...must do this."

Once he had said those words, the whole Council chamber fell silent. None of the crew moved and just stared at Elrond with shock. Was he being serious? Take the ring into Mordor? _Mordor_?! Where the Dark Lord himself lived! He might as well be asking  
for someone to commit suicide!

Zeb quietly moved his seat back behind Hera so Elrond couldn't see him. Ezra rolled his eyes, but looked around at anything but the elf. He wasn't a coward, but he wasn't very fond of the idea of going into Mordor either. He had heard many stories about  
that place, and the more he heard, the lesser he wanted to go there.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor," Boromir suddenly said hopelessly, "It's black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep." He then made a circle with his hand, "And the _Great Eye_ is ever watchful.  
It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breath is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly."

Ezra surprisingly found himself agreeing with the Gondorian. If what he was saying was true, then it'd be almost impossible to sneak the ring into Mordor. If there was even a slight chance that Sauron would catch them, it'd all be over. And the world  
would fall into darkness. And Ezra honestly didn't want to see that darkness.

Legolas then stood up, looked at Boromir, and furiously pointed at Elrond, "Have you heard nothing that Lord Elrond just said?! The ring must be destroyed!"

Gimli shot the elf a filthy glare, "And I suppose _you_ think you're the one to do it!"

"And if we fail, what then?!" Boromir demanded, standing up with the dwarf, "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!"

"I will be dead before I see the ring in the hands of an elf!" Gimli huffed, and then pointed at Hera and Zeb, "And definitely not a green Orc and troll!"

That made the two rise to their feet angrily.

"Now hold on just a second!" Hera replied, her jaw dropped in offense.

Zeb growled furiously, "Who're you calling a troll, shorty?!"

From that point on, chaos erupted. Everybody, except for the rest of the crew, Gandalf, Frodo, Aragorn and Elrond, rose to their feet and started arguing. The elves and dwarves were yelling into each other's faces. Boromir and Legolas went into a heated  
argument, as well as Hera, Zeb, and Gilmli. Gandalf pressed his head against his staff irritably.

Ezra watched the scene before him in complete disbelief, "This is madness."

Rex leaned over and muttered, "This is politics."

The more the delegates argued, the more intense they got. A couple of them even started shoving one another. Kanan and Gandalf got up to try and make the commotion stop. However, the wizard ended up getting into an argument with Boromir while the Jedi  
was trying to prevent Zeb from punching Gimli in the face.

Ezra couldn't believe what he was witnessing. This was wrong. This was all just so wrong. If the free people's of Middle Earth couldn't unite, they all might as well be wiped out right now. Ezra glanced at Frodo, and became concerned when he saw the hobbit's  
gaze transfixed on the ring. What was he thinking? Ezra followed the hobbit's gaze, but didn't notice anything different. He was about to ask Frodo if he was alright, but then all of a sudden, the hobbit clenched his fists and stood up, facing the  
Council.

"I will take it!" he shouted.

Nobody heard him over all the yelling, and the argument continued.

Frodo yelled louder, "I will take it!"

This time, everybody heard him, and the room fell silent once more. Ezra saw Gandalf close his eyes in defeat, and he, along with all the others, turned to face the little hobbit. The apprentice felt dread in his heart. What was Frodo doing?! Was he mad?!  
He had a chance to return home, to the comfort of the Shire! Was he seriously going to throw that away?! However, when Ezra looked at the hobbit, he saw confidence within his eyes. Right then and there, he knew that Frodo wanted to do it. Everybody's  
expressions seemed to soften. They all realized that this little hobbit was willing to sacrifice _everything_ to save the world.

"I will take the ring to Mordor," Frodo said. He then seemed to become a little nervous with everybody now staring at him, "Though...I do not know the way."

Gandalf then walked up to him, nodding and lightly patting him on the shoulder, "I will help you bare this burden, Frodo Baggins. As long as it is yours to bare."

Aragorn too walked up to Frodo and knelt before him, "If by life or death I can protect you, I will. You have my sword."

Gandalf glanced at Elrond and shot him a wink. Ezra had no idea what that meant.

Legolas was the next to walk up, "And you have my bow."

Then Gimli, "And my axe."

Ezra shot a glance to the crew, and then abruptly walked up, "I'm with you too." He looked at Frodo and smiled, "I think that what you're doing is very brave, Frodo. You've been so helpful to I can think of no better way to repay you than  
offering my allegiance to you." He then bowed to the hobbit, "You have my lightsaber."

Frodo smiled at the apprentice and nodded his thanks. Ezra then stood beside the other delegates that were offering to help. He looked back at his friends and rose a brow. However, none of the members of the crew of _the Ghost_ needed to debate about  
their response.

"And he won't be alone," Hera said with a smile, followed by Sabine and Rex, "You have the heart of a rebel, Frodo. If there is any way we can help, we will be more than happy to do it. You have our blasters."

Sabine nodded in agreement, "As well as some other valuable items." She patted her belt full of different weapons.

Rex smirked and ruffled the hobbit's hair, "Noble decision, little guy. I swear to you that I'll be there every step of the way." He then patted his twin blasters, "Plus, it's been a long time sincethis old clone's been in a war. And he's nowhere  
near rusty."

None of them saw Elrond and Gandalf lightly grin at each other. This had been their intention the whole time. They knew that if something like this was to happen, then they'd most definitely need the assistance of these rebels.

Zeb was the next one to walk up to Frodo. He looked down at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "Let me make one thing clear, Master Baggins, I'm not very fond of your folk, specifically your kin."

When he had said that, there was a loud clang behind a column of pillars right outside the Council Chamber, but no one took any notice.

The Lasat then grinned, "However, with you, I'll make exception. You've got to be one of the most toughest hobbits I have ever met. You have my deepest respect." He then grabbed his weapon from behind his back and presented it to the hobbit, "You have  
my bo-rifle."

Frodo nodded, and smiled at him. Zeb shot a grin and lightly punched the hobbit in the shoulder before standing with the others. Kanan then walked up and knelt before the hobbit. He was silent for a couple seconds, but then finally spoke.

"Frodo, if you had the Force within you, I know you'd make a great Jedi. I've honestly never known anyone who had lived a simple life to do the thing that you're doing. You're sacrificing so much. Your home, your life, your pleasures. And I respect that  
dearly." He placed a hand on his shoulder, "Before we came to this world, we rebels had a code: To rob from the Empire, and give to the needy. And I most definitely believe that helping you in this quest is a part of that code." He then nodded, "You  
have my lightsaber."

Hera grinned at Kanan as he walked up and stood next to her. From the moment she met him, she knew he could never resist a fight. They had helped so many people across the galaxy, and now it was Middle Earth's turn. The crew knew they were taking a big  
risk. And if this quest could possibly cost them their lives, then so be it.

Finally, Boromir was the last to walk up.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one," he remarked, "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

Suddenly, everybody jumped when they heard a sudden yell from the bushes. They were bewildered to see Sam rush into the chamber. Ezra and Sabine smirked at him, knowing that he had been hiding there the whole entire time.

The hobbit crossed his arms confidently, "Mr. Frodo's not going anywhere without me."

Elrond gave him an amused smirk, "Noindeed. For it is highly impossible to separate you two, even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not."

"Oi, we're coming too!" a sudden voice yelled from behind the pillars outside the chamber.

Elrond twirledaround and gave the moststartled expression that it almost made Ezra and Sabine laugh. Out from the pillars came Merry, Pippin, and Chopper. A couple people stepped back at seeing the astromech, but didn't say anything. When  
Zeb saw the two hobbits rushing up, he groaned and rolled his eyes.

"And you'll have to send us all tied up in a sack to stop us," Merry said, looking at Elrond.

"Anyways," Pippin added, "you need people of intelligence on this sort ofmission...quest...thing."

A couple people shot each other awkward glances.

"Well that rules you out, Pip," Merry muttered.

Zen whacked the two hobbits upside the head, "That rules _both_ of you out!"

Elrond looked at all of thevolunteers and mused, "16 companions." He then nodded, "So be it, you shall be The Fellowship of the Ring."

Pippin nodded and grinned excitedly, "Great. Where are we going?"

Zeb and Merry both looked at him, and halfwanted to slap him.

 ****

 ****


	24. Chapter 24

**Hey guys. :) The chapter's finally up. lol. I'm sorry for taking so long to update.I alsoapologize that a lot of the words from the last chapter were crampedtogether. Fanfiction just keeps on doing that, and it is sometimes really frustrating. However, I will try to fix it the best I can. In the meantime, enjoy chapter 23. :)**  
/

 **Chapter 23: The Quest Begins**

Ezra ducked as Kanan swung his lightsaber at him. Once the blade swung over his head, the apprentice leapt into the air and performed a hard right swing. However, his master was onto him and blocked the blow. They could feel their sabers vibrating as  
/the bladesmade contact. Kanan then took Ezra by surprise and kicked his right leg. The young Jedi had not been prepared for that move and his leg gave way. He was on his back, his master towering over him.

Kanan quickly brought his lightsaber down upon him, but Ezra fortunately got his own weapon in the air and blocked. He then swiped his legs and brought his master to the ground. Kanan grunted as his face hit the hard stone floor. But that was not enough  
/to keep him down. Without giving a moment to rest, the Jedi Knight hopped back up to his feat, but was surprised to find Ezra already standing up.

The apprentice rose his hand and used the Force to send Kanan flying back and hit one of the pillars. That smarted. Ezra then charged at him and swung his saberseveral times, each blow being blocked by a struggling Kanan. The elder Jedi was able

to hold his own though, and once his pupil finished another swing, he attacked him with his own blows. Ezra was startled by his suddenly increased energy and stumbled back, having a difficult time blocking the blows.

"He's going to beat you," Zeb called out, who was laying against a pillar, bored out of his mind.

Ezra shot him a glare, "Shut up!"

Both Jedi were training in the middle of one of Rivendell's main courtyards. The crew of _the Ghost_ , along with all four hobbits were watching them fight. Of course, for those who were familiar with the Jedi and their lightsabers, this was nothing  
/new. But for the hobbits, this was a fascinating experience to behold. They had heard stories of men fighting with swords and spears. But with swords that appeared to be made from fire, thatwas truly amazing.

Kanan was backing Ezra towards a nearby pillar, to corner him in. However, the young Jedi saw what he was trying to do and force leapt into the air. Kanan swung his blade several times and clashed with his apprentice in midair. But instead of landing  
/back on the ground, Ezra reached for a nearby poleon top of one of the pillars. He seized it, ran around the pillar, and then launched himself back at Kanan, kicking him off his feat. Now it was Ezra who had the high ground. He smirked over

at the crew and then brought his weapon down. As expected, Kanan blocked it. Ezra could see him trying to debate his next move.

He grinned at his master, "You know, it's been a long time since we practiced together."

"Indeed," Kanan nodded, suddenly tripping his apprentice and then sending three hard blows with his lightsaber, "and you're still sloppy."

Ezra could feel himself sweating as he defended himself, "Yeah...well...I'm getting...better."

He could feel himself getting tired, which was very unusual because he had never been this exhausted before. Come to think of it, Kanan had never trained with him this hard before. Back at _Chopper Base_ , their little duels had been easy, but here  
/it was like his master was unleashing everything upon him.

Hera could see Ezra struggling, and glanced over at Kanan with a frown, "Perhaps you two should take a break?"

"No!" Ezra said quickly, shaking his head, "I can...finish this."

Zeb leaned over to Frodo and whispered with a chuckle, "No he can't."

The hobbit just grinned and rolled his eyes. He didn't want the fightto end either, for he was interested in these 'lightsabers' like his kin, although he wasn't as overwhelmed and inaweas they were. His mind was more focused on the

ring and where they'd be heading within the next couple days. Lord Elrond had proclaimed him to be the "Ring Bearer." That put a lot of responsibility on the hobbit's shoulders. Frodo had no idea what possessed him to speak aloud in that Council.  
/Well, that's a lie. He knew exactly why he chose to do it. He had seen something when he had stared at the ring. Even if the other delegatesdidn't see it, he knew that if something had not been done about the ring, it would've destroyed them

all one by one.

Ezra's lightsaber smashedagainst Kanan's blow after blow. But the elder Jedi didn't seem too bothered by it. Rather disappointed really.

"You know you're not following the steps that I taught you, right?" he said, twirling around to where he was behind Ezra's back and Force pushed him towards the other side of the courtyard.

Ezra wiped dirt off his face and shrugged, "I'm trying something new."

Kanan rose a brow, "And how's that working out for you?"

"It's getting there!,"Ezra retorted in defense.

He aimed for Kanan's right arm, although being careful to not actually chop it off. But the Jedi master's arms moved faster than a wamprat and blocked his attack. Then both opponents swungtheir lightsabers at the same time, each collision sending

vibrations up their arms, and it made Ezra's hair stand on end. They fought across the courtyard, sometimes moving one direction, and then sometimes another.

Both opponents had sweat rolling down their cheeks, and they gritted their teeth the harder they swung. Ezra was surprised that nothing caught on fire as sparks shot out every time their lightsabers made contact.

Merry shook his head in awe, "This is intense."

Sabine smirked, "It'll get even better when Kanan kicks his butt."

Ezra shot her an aggravated glare, "You know,I can hear you!"

"I know," the Mandalorian answered with a shrug, "Just saying the truth."

Oh that really got Ezra. Without even thinking twice, he just unleashed everything he had on his master. He didn't even think his attack through. All he did was attack, swinginghis lightsaber as fast and as hard as he could. Unfortunately, it did

him little good. It instead gave Kanan the opportunity to send a kick to Ezra's side, and make the padawan loosen hisgrip on his lightsaber. The Jedi Knight then made one powerful right swing and knock the blade right out of Ezra's hand. It

deactivated and landed onto the soft grass. Ezra made a move to call it back with the Force, but Kanan got to it first. He activated his pupil's lightsaber, and then crossed both blades in front of Ezra's neck.

"And that's your head," Kanan replied, frowning disappointedly.

"Told you," Zeb whispered to Sabine and Frodo.

The three just lightly chuckled to themselves, ignoring Ezra shooting daggers at them. Even Chopper let out a mechanical laugh. The droid seemed to be in higher spirits now that they were out of danger. Well, for now at least.

Kanan sighed as he handed Ezra his weapon, "That had to be the saddest fight I've ever been in.I thought I taught you better."

"You did," Ezra replied, crouching down to the ground to catch his breath, "but we never trained for _this_ long. What's the deal?"

Kanan half laughed, "What's the deal?! We're gonna be leaving within the next couple days, that's the deal! We need to be prepared for what lies ahead."

Ezra groaned, "We _never_ trained this long to fight the Empire."

Kanan crossed his arms, "Kid, I've got news for you. The forces of Mordor are _not_ the Empire. We've already seen Sauron's undead warriors, who knows what else he has."

Ezra finally stood back up and placed his hands on his hips, shrugging without concern, "Well...whatever's out there, we'll be ready for them."

Kanan tapped the hilt of his apprentice's lightsaber, "This proves that we aren't ready. Your attack was sloppy and you lacked focus."

A part of Ezra wanted to argue with Kanan, as always. However, he did agree that he didn't have his head around him today. He didn't know what it was. Was it the quest they were about to set out on? Was it his wound from Weathertop? He didn't have a clue.

"Sorry," Ezra apologized with an aggravated sigh, "These past few days have just been hard on me. I've been trying to do better though."

Kanan shook his head, "There is no try, remember? Apparently, the whole arm incident gave you amnesia or something because you seem to have forgotten one of the key advantages in fighting."

"And what's that?" the apprentice asked with a slight groan.

Kanan abruptly tapped Ezra's forehead with his finger, " _This_. When in the middle of a duel, you don't just attack your opponent head on. Part of fighting is forming a strategy. You study your opponents tactics and determine what he's going to  
do

next. Only then do you have a betterchance of winning the fight."

"Yeah, well that's kinda hard to do when the opponent keeps on swinging at your head!" Ezra snapped, "And plus, I doubt Mordor has any people _with_ lightsabers. So there's very little chance that we'll be in a predicament like that."

"And yet you got injured by a Ringwraith," Kanan replied with a raised brow.

Ezra rolled his eyes, "How was I supposed to know what'd happen if I stabbed it? Besides, those guys are gone."

"That doesn't mean that we're all safe and sound though, Ezra!" Kanan snapped.

He was about to say something else to his apprentice, but then Hera placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her and saw the Twi'lek shoot a look of sympathy towards Ezra. Kanan followed her gaze and saw how stressed he seemed to be. He then closed  
/his eyes and sighed. He needed to remind himself that everybody was still trying to take in what they had signed up for. What they decided to do was...a big deal. There was no guarantee that they'd come back alive.

Kanan gently made Ezra look at him, "Why don't we take a break for a while, okay?I'm sure we all have things we need to do before we leave in the next few days."

Ezra nodded and walked off, not saying a word. He could feel all eyes watching him,and he tried his best to ignore it. He wasn't meaning to give Kanan a hard time. He was just trying to get over the fact that the journey they were about to go on

was a possible death trap. When he had pledged his loyalty to Frodo, he had done it out of good faith. He was very fond of Middle Earth, and it'd shatter his heart if it fell into darkness.

But what really bugged Ezra was the possibility that he might die in the process. There were so many things that he still wanted to do. The main one was to return to his homeworld of Lothal and free it from the Empire. So far, he couldn't see that happening  
/since no rebel ships had come for him and his friends. Would they ever come? Were they even worried about them and where they might be? Of course they were. The crew of _the Ghost_ were the best soldiers in the rebellion. Commander Sato couldn't  
/take on the Empirewithout their help. Ezra was positive that they were looking for them. But would they get here in time, he wondered?

As Ezra was strolling through the streets of Rivendell, he noticed a large building up ahead. Seeing nothing better to do, he decided to walk in and look around for a while. Maybe seeing some interesting artifacts could put his mind at ease. Although,  
/he wasn't sure what there was to see because the only things he had seen his whole time in Rivendell were armor and helmets.

When Ezra walked through the doors, he didn't see any of the local Elves around. He kind of wondered if he should even be in here, but seeing as how the door was open, he assumed it'd be alright. As he had suspected, he saw a lot of armor hanging on the  
/walls in the main room, but fortunately, he saw stairs leading up to another level. When Ezra had climbed up said stairs, he saw that the second floor seemed to have tons of books about. Of course, there had to be more books. This world seemed to  
/like books a lot.

Ezra didn't pick up any of them though, for they seemed to have been set in a way the Elves liked. He didn't really want to mess anything up. To his relief however, he also found there were more than just books. Some of the walls were painted. The finest  
/artwork Ezra had ever seen. Several of the paintings were of people, and the way they were drawn made the design look so realistic. Ezra smirked, thinking that whoever did these could definitely give Sabine a run for her money.

But then he caught sight of another painting. One that seemed to stand out from the rest. It seemed...dark. Ezrawent up and examined it, folding his arms. There were two figures that were standing in the middle of some sort of great battle. One

was laying on the ground. He was dressed in some sort of rich attire, and it reminded the young Jedi of something a king would wear. He was holding up a sword in defense. Ezra couldn't see the other figure's face, for it was covered bya dark

menacing mask. He stood over the first figure, about to bring a gigantic club down upon him. Ezra wondered who this person was, but then he saw something on his finger. Something round and golden. His eyes widened when he realized that this must be...him.  
/Sauron. Was that what he looked like? If it was, then Ezra could understand why the people of Middle Earth feared him.

He didn't want to imagine what the world must've been like before. When Sauron had the One Ring in his hands. How many died by his hand? How many _would_ die if he somehow reclaimed it? As hard as it was for Ezra to accept, he and the crew were  
now

in the middle of another war. Hopefully they'd win it.

For some odd reason, Ezra suddenly had the urge to look behind him, so he did so. Behind him was a stone statue of a woman holding a big tray. There was a light blue cloth on top of said tray. Ezra slowly stepped forward and looked down to get a good  
/look of what else was on the tray. He rose a curious brow. Laying on the cloth was a sword. A _broken_ sword. How could he tell? Well it was quite obvious because the whole blade was shattered into many pieces! Ezra kind of found that a bit  
odd.

Why would the Elves have a broken sword on display?

However, that did not prevent his urge to pick up the hilt. He looked around to make sure there was nobody sitting around and then grabbed it. Ezra was almost amazed at how heavy it was. Even without the whole blade attached to it, the sword still had  
/a good amount of weight to it. It even seemed heavier than a lightsaber. Ezra had never actually gotten to see a sword up close, even though he had seen Sabine fool around with hers. But of course, the Mandalorian wouldn't let him touch it. He waved  
/around the hilt to see how fast he could swing it like his own weapon. As he suspected, waving the sword around was much slower than with a lightsaber. Ezra wondered how these people were able to fight with such weapons.

"It'd probably take some strong person to weild this thing," he commented aloudto himself, "Why don't they fix it? It could probably be useful."

"It will be fixed," replied a sudden voice, "when the time is right."

Ezra immediately turned around to see Aragorn standing in the doorway, arms crossed and his brow raised. He quickly set the hilt back down on the tray and stepped away from the statue.

"I-I'm sorry," Ezra stuttered, "I just wanted to have a look at it."

Aragorn gave him a small smile and shook his head, "There is no need to apologize, Ezra." He walked up and patted the apprentice on the shoulder before looking at the sword, "Believe me, you are not the first to look at this sword. Lord Boromir actually  
/picked it up the day before the Council."

Ezra followed his gaze and looked at the weapon. He could only imagine how many pieces were on that cloth. There seemed to be so many. And they still looked sharp.

Ezra then looked at Aragorn confusedly, "Why do they leave this sword here? What exactly is so important about it?"

Aragorn's jaw slightly clenched, and the apprentice almost thought he had said something wrong. However, the ranger looked like he was remembering something. His eyes looked down to the ground for a brief second, and then came back up.

Finally, Aragorn answered, "It is more than just a simple sword, Ezra. It is called 'The Shardes of Narsil.'The blade that cut the ring from Sauron's hand."

Ezra's eyes went wide and he looked at the weapon again in shock.

"Is that why it's broken?!" he asked.

Aragorn suddenly let out a small laugh, which caught the young Jedi off guard. "Not exactly. There is an explanation for how it came to be like this, but alas I prefer not to tell it." He then grabbed the hilt and held it up himself. "The sword of Elendil.  
/Isildor took up this blade when his father fell at the hand of Sauron. It is a shame that the bloodline fell not long after this happened."

Ezra watched as the ranger held the blade. He couldn't help but think how ironic this was. A king's sword being held by a king. Well...a would be king is the more preferred term.

"But it'll rise again, won't it?" Ezra asked, "That elf in the Council did say that you were Isildor's heir. You could be the next one to weild the blade."

Aragorn frowned and placed the hilt back down. "I could. But I do not think I am the right one."

Ezra didn't expect to hear that response from the man. He could now see a bit of dread in Aragorn's eyes. Did he not want to be king? You'd have to be mad to decline a chance to rule!

"I would've thought that it is meant for you," Ezra said.

Aragorn shrugged and looked at him, "It doesn't matter if it was, I don't want it. I do not wish to be bound to Isildor's fate."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ezra asked, accidentally sounding a bit rude, "Are you afraid of dying or something?"

Aragorn shook his head and muttered, "That is not the fate I speak of."

Now Ezra was even more confused, "Then what're you saying?"

Aragorn looked at him again, seeming a bit annoyed, "You seem to be one who loves to ask an awful lot of questions, Master Bridger."

"My apologies Strider, err Aragorn," Ezra answered, scratching his head, "I wasn't meaning to be pushy or anything."

Aragorn nodded in understanding. For some reason, the ranger seemed to remind Ezra an awful lot of Kanan, except for a couple differences. However, unlike his master, Aragorn didn't express his annoyance. Well, not yet anyways. Ezra was about to yet again  
/go on another journey with this guy, so it'd be interesting to see what he was like the whole way.

"It is I who should apologize, Ezra," Aragorn said, "I do not mean to be so close minded on this subject. It is just something I am not very fond of thinking about."

Ezra nodded, "I understand." He tried to act a bit more cheerful, "I wouldn't tell me either. I usually don't get to hear deep secret stuff unless someone else says it. They tend to get agitated with me."

"Really?" Aragorn asked with a smirk, "Is that why a lot of your friends say they wish they could just tie you up and leave you somewhere?"

Ezra burst out laughing and hit his hand against the statue, "Ha! That's funny. Good one." However, when he saw the ranger simply smile, his laughter faded, "Wait...do they say that?"

Without answering the question, Aragorn replied, "If you'll excuse me."

Ezra wasn't gonna take that for ananswer, and chased after Aragorn.

"Seriously though! Do they say that about me?!" he asked nervously.

Aragorn's only response was light laughter.

* * *

The newly formed Fellowship of the Ring had a hard time waking up at the crack of dawn. The day had come when they were to finally set out on their quest to Mordor. Were they nervous? Definitely. Was that going to stop them from fulfilling their promise?  
/Absolutely not. Although, Kanan Jarrus was a bit skeptical about some of the members coming on the journey. Specifically Boromir.

He sensed so much desperation in that man. He wasn't sure if it was to accomplish the quest...or something else. Yes, this man was the son of the Stewart (whatever the heck that was), but Kanan saw how he looked at the ring during the Council. He had  
/craved it. It had been that obviousto the Jedi Knight as to anyone else in that room. Could Boromir be capable of treachery? Kanan doubted it, but he was going to keep an eyeon him nonetheless.

As fortune would have it, it was another sunny day. He was happy to see that, because if they were going to set off in the early morning, then this was the right weather to do it. Kanan actuallyfound himself enjoying the weather in Middle Earth

more and more. He had been too used to the smell of ship fuel and smoke from the labor factories on Lothal. Another downside of the Empire's reign.

Kanan was sitting outside of his roomon the balcony, once again packing up all necessary items needed for the trip. Mainly his things this time though. Hera had volunteered to help out with the rest. She got to deal with the weapons while he had

the food and provisions. He was relieved to see that they still had plenty, despite all the days that they had travelled from the Shire. The encounter with the Ringwraiths probably made a whole lot of the crew lose their appetites.

Kanan suspected that'd probably be the same thing when they were traveling to Mordor. No matter what they mightencounteralong the way, there would beSauron at the end. And the Jedi knew that they needed to be ready to take him down,

even if it meant laying down his life. He still didn't know how the Fellowship was planning to get _into_ Mordor. Gandalf was probably saving that part for last.

There was a sudden knock from behind Kanan. However, he didn't need to wonder who that was.

 _Speaking of the man._

He turned around and saw Gandalf standing there. The wizard seemed to never need an invite to enter ones quarters.

Gandalf gave a light smile, "May I have a word, Kanan?"

"Gandalf," the Jedi replied, acknowledging the wizard and setting his stuff down, "What can I do for you?"

Gandalf pulled up a chair from beside a table on the balcony and sat down. Kanan half expected him to pull out his pipe and start smoking. That seemed to be a favorite thing of his. However, surprisingly, he didn't. Gandalf instead folded his hands together  
/and leaned forward, a serious look on his face.

"During the Council a couple days back, I noticed your...powers," the wizard explained, pointing to Kanan's hands, "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about it?"

"Well," Kanan answered, a bit unsure of how to answer his question. He didn't knowwhat else he'dwantto know. "it's called the Force."

Gandalf nodded and slightly chuckled, "So I had heard from your apprentice."

Kanan smiled and nodded, but then shrugged, "Well...Ezra kindaexplained the basics of what it was capable of. I'm not sure what elseIcan tell you about the Force."

Gandalf didn't respond to that for a couple seconds. Kanan sense the old man being hesitant. He was wanting to ask the Jedi about something specific. However, he couldn't tell what that was. Honestly, Kanan had never known

anyone besides a Jedi that was interested in the Force. Hondo Ohnaka didn't count.

Gandalf sighed and finally found the words, "What exactly can your powers do? Are there good things and...bad things?"

Kanan's eyes slightly narrowed, "There are plenty good things. But unfortunately there are bad uses too. The Sith are well known for using the darker powers of the Force, which is more commonlyknown as the Dark Side."

"Name a couple, if you don't mind," Gandalf replied bluntly.

"Uh..." Kanan stuttered a bit by the wizard's bluntness, "sure. One that the Sith usually use is Force Lightning, blue energy that comes out from their fingertips and electrocutes anybody in front of it. It's quite painful. A mind trick can be used by  
/both the Light and Dark Side of the Force, and it usually works on those who are weak minded. The Sith unfortunately use it to make the individuals do...regretful things. And then there's the Force Choke. You can strangle a person in mid-air without  
/even clutching their throat.."

Gandalf immediately held up his hand for him to stop, "That's all I needed to hear." He leaned forward and looked down to the ground, seeming even more worried than he had been, "I was afraid of that."

Kanan rose a confused brow, "Sir?"

Gandalf rose his head and gave the Jedi a piercing stare, "My friend...do you remember when I told you and General Syndulla about the masked individual that was with Saruman?" When Kanan slowly nodded, he continued, "I had told you that this man was  
/extremely powerful. And he had even beat me in a fight, which is quite impossible." He then pointed at the Jedi's hands, "But when I saw your demonstration at the Council, I am almost certain now that the masked figure can use the Force."

Kanan froze, his eyes widened. Was the wizard saying what he thought he was saying?!

"Gandalf," he asked hesitantly, "are you trying to say that we may not be the _only_ ones who crashed here?"

Gandalf shook his head uncertainly, "I don't know."

That wasn't a very reassuring answer. If it was the case, that would be yet another problem for Kanan and the crew. And he was almost certain that Gandalf was right about this masked figure being able to use the Force.

Kanan stroked his chinas he thought, "That doesn't make sense though. I mean, I'm sure somebody would've seen a ship crash. No offense, but that'd probably cause a whole lot of talk in this world since technology is uncommon."

Gandalf frowned, "I would agree with you, but the other puzzle is thatwe didn't even see _your_ ship crash, Kanan. You and your friends were onthe borders of the Shire, and if a local hobbit had spotted you, we would've known about you

longbefore you had even arrived in Hobbiton." He then sighed, "As much as I hate to admit it, it is very possible that you are not the only ones to have come to Middle Earth." A curious look suddenly came to his face, "Or perhaps...maybe

you aren't the _first_ ones to come here."

"What do you mean?" asked Kanan.

Gandalf stood up and walked up to the balcony's railing, looking over all of Rivendell and the lands beyond, "Whoever this masked man is, he seems to have deep ties with the forces of Mordor. The way he talked, it almost seemed to me like he knew Sauron's  
/entire plan to destroy all of Middle Earth. To have that amount of knowledge would take years to fully understand."

Both possibilities didn't sound good to Kanan at all. He wanted to roll his eyes, because Ezra just _had_ to say that they probably wouldn't encounter force weilders on the journey. And now there was a possibility that they would. Was it just Kanan's  
/imagination, or did there alwaysseem to be trouble wherever they went?

"This whole ordeal seems to become curiouser and curiouser," he finally commented.

Gandalf nodded, "Indeed. But all the same, I am very greatful that you and your crew will be assisting us in our quest. For if we encounter individuals from your world along the way, I have no doubt that we'll need your help."

Kanan grinned, "Well it's a good thing you didn't decide to do this a year earlier then, otherwise you would've missed us."

Gandalf smiled and chuckled before slightly bowing, "I will let you return to your packing, my friend. Please forgive my intrusion."

Kanan nodded, "Thank you for telling me about this,Gandalf."

With that being said, the wizard left the room. When he was out of sight, Kanan's smile faded, and worry took its place. This was something that he knew he couldn't keep a secret from the others. It was kind of aggravating because here when he thought  
/things couldn't get anyworse, they suddenly did.

Kanan had a very bad feeling about this. What could be coming next, he wondered?

* * *

While Ezra went to help Frodo with his packing, Hera and the rest of the Fellowship slowly began to gather at the entrance of Rivendell. The crew of _the Ghost_ were finishing up their packing before everybody else arrived. Sam, Merry, and Pippin  
/were still dead tired, which was no surprise to anyone. Hera looked around to see where Kanan was, but found that he had not joined them yet. She rolled her eyes, knowing perfectly well that her Jedi friend always liked to take his time and annoy  
/her.

In the meantime, the Twi'lek captain double checked their supplies for the journey. All weapons were present and accounted for. Rex and Zeb haddefinitely made sure that none of their 'toys' were left behind. Sabine would let absolutely nobody touch  
/her belongings. So Hera assumed that the Mandalorian had all her equipment.

Sam was packing bags onto Bill the pony, making sure that they didn't puttoo much on though. He had grown very fond of the horse, and didn't want him to have to carry such heavy baggage. Sabine, Zeb, and Rex made sure to put the more valuable items  
/onto Bill and to carry the rest themselves.

Hera then double checked to make sure they had enough power chips for Chopper, which fortunately there were. They had only used two ever since they crashed onto Middle Earth. Well, actually it was three now, because the astromech was already in need of  
/another chip. Hera knelt down, ejected the old chip and tossed it aside before injecting the new one in. Once Chopper's circuits and finally accepted the chip, he span his domed head around fast for no reason and began beeping nonsense.

Hera frowned at the droid, "Didn't we give you a new power chip not too long ago? How in the world did you already wear it out?"

Chopper grumbled several times in response.

Zeb tilted his head, "What did he say?"

Hera smirked as she replied, "He said he had to move around so many times in the night to avoid hearing your constantsnoring."

The Lasat glared at the droid and made a sarcastic laugh, "Ha ha ha, veryfunny, rust-bucket." He then wacked the droid on the head.

Rex had just finished strapping his helmet onto one of the packs atop Bill. The clone had decided that he wouldn't be needing it for the first part of the journey. Plus, it was sunny out, and the armor was extremely hot.

Hera crossed her arms and smiled, "Eager to get going, huh Rex?"

"You have no idea," Rex answered with a smirk, "I'm ready to get back into the fight. It's been too long since I've fought in a war."

Sabine looked at him confusedly, "We are in a war, remember?"

"Oh no," Rex chuckled and shook his head, "that doesn't count. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for fighting against the Empire, but all the rebellion's basicallyhad me do is stand behind a desk and give battle strategies. I'm ready for some _real_ action."

Zeb leaned over to him and whispered with a grin, "Eh no offense, but you are kinda up there."

The clone's jaw dropped, "Um, excuse me? Remind me again, Captain Orrilious: Who was the one that actually held his own against the black riders?"

Both men then laughed and punched each other in the shoulder.

"You lot seem to be in light spirits," a voice suddenly said from out of nowhere.

The crew looked back to see Boromir glaring disappointingly at them. The Gondorian was all set to go, with his shield hanging over his shoulder.

"Many would not be smiling upon knowing they embark on a life or death quest," Boromir simply said, "Are you not concerned about the task at hand? On what we are about to do?"

Hera's jaw clenched and she stepped forward in front of everybody else, "We are fully aware ofwhat we are about to do, captain. I'm sure you can understand that there are some that need to feel better about this whole situation."

"So what are you saying?" Boromir asked, slightly scoffing, "Are you reassuring them that you'll be fine? That nobody will perish? That's the greatest lie you can ever tell." He stepped closer to where his face and Hera's were only a couple inches away,  
/"Where we are going, there will be death, there will be bloodshed. And if you don't keep up, you will for sure die." He nodded towards the rest of the crew, "I'd keep that in mind if I were you."

He then walked up to join Gimli and Legolas, whomhad just arrived.

Zeb clenched his fists and muttered with a snarl, "Do they really expect us to travel with that guy? I'm about ready to shove his head into the ground!"

"Yes, they do!" Hera replied back, "Whether we like it or not, we all have to be allies here. Their intentions are the same as ours. They want to see the ring destroyed, and we'll more than likely need their help."

Rex frowned at Boromir and shook his head, "There's something about that man that I don't like. I can't find the words to describe it."

"Oh I do," replied Sabine, glaring over at the Gondorian, "Try 'jerk, sleemo, scum-weasel, and wamp rat'!"

Zeb huffed, "That's only the beginning of a list of names I'd like to call him."

Hera sighed and held up a hand, "Alright, that's enough from all of you. Trust me, I'm not fond of him either, but he's our companion and we might as well get used to it."

To be honest, Boromir wasn't the only one in this company that got on Hera's nerves. She still wasn't at good odds with the dwarf, Gimli, especially since he basically insultedher in public. The last person to do that ended up beingbruised

all over. Legolas, on the other hand, didn't bother Hera as much. The elf had actually kept to himself all morning. Hera did see him shoot dirty looks at Gimli off and on though. She half suspected that the relationship between the elf and the dwarf  
/would create problems along the way.

The crew then noticed Aragorn and Arwen standing in a nearby hallway. From what they could tell, the two were having a very disturbing conversation. Arwen didn't seem happy in the slightest, and Aragorn had a look of regret upon his face. Hera wondered  
/what that was all about. Sabine, Zeb, and Ezra had told her about the two having a more romantic relationship, which she found a bit surprising. She then saw Aragorn open his hand and move it close to Arwen, saying a few words. However, the elf shook  
/her head and closed his hand and said something in response before walking off. The ranger closed his eyes and sighed before walking up to join the rest of his companions.

The crew just shot each other a glance and didn't bother to even say anything. Aragorn seemed to have sharp ears, and they didn't want to say anything to offend him. Thankfully, Hera noticed Kanan coming up as well. He was carrying the rest of the supplies.  
/But the Twi'lek pilot then noticed that the Jedi looked disturbed about something. This couldn't be good.

"What's wrong, love?" Hera asked him when he came up.

Kanan frowned and answered, "We have a problem."

"Really?" Zeb asked sarcastically, "That's new."

"What kind of problem?" Hera asked, ignoring the Lasat's comment.

Kanan placed his hands on his hips and looked down, "Gandalf paid me a visit, and he told me...things." When the crew gave him a look of confusion, he sighed and decided to just say it, "I'm starting to believe that we might not be the only ones who  
/cameto Middle Earth."

Sabine's brow furrowed and she tilted her head, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"There's a masked man aligned with the enemy," Kanan explained, "He was one of the people responsible for preventing Gandalf from meeting us in Bree. I'm not saying that this is actually the case, but thewizard believes that this guycan use

the Force."

Rex's expression hardened and he shook his head, "Kanan...that's not possible. We've seen a lot of strange things in this world, but I doubt any of these primitives could use the Force."

Kanan shrugged uncertainly, "Wedon't even know if we are the first ones to be here, Rex. There might've been others who came before us."

Zeb nodded, but then held up a finger, "But the only problem with that theory is that we haven't seen anybody that we know during our wholetrip down here."

Hera nodded and looked back at the Jedi, "He's got a point, Kanan. Whoever this 'masked man' is, he could only be one. And itwon't reallymatter as long as we don't run into him."

"There's no guarantee of that," Kanan replied, stroking his chin.

Hera could see worry and regret written all over her friend's face. She knew that it'd take more than her reassurance to convince the likes of Kanan. Part of her suddenly became irritated because now they had _two_ problems to worry about: That  
mysterious

tenth rider and nowthis masked guy. Would it ever end? Hera highly doubted it. When one was in a war, usually a lot of things that they didn't want to happen ended up happening. Hera had learned that lesson the moment she had joined the rebellion.

The least she could do was try to give him comfort.

She placed a hand on Kanan's shoulder and lightly smiled, "We've been in situations like thisbefore, and nothing has ever happened to us." She tilted her head back, pointing to the Fellowship, "No one ever said this was going to be easy. No doubt

we _will_ encounter dangers along the way." She made Kanan look straight into her eyes as she said the next words, "But we will make it. All of us. What these guys that we're up against don't know is that we are survivors. And they have no idea  
/that we're coming."

Kanan's expression seemed to lighten after she said those words. Slowly he nodded.

Zeb then took out his bo-rifle and smirked, "And by the time they do realize we're coming, it'll be too late."

Both Rex and Sabine noddedin agreement, smirking along with the Lasat. Hera couldn't believe them. After all this time, afterwhat they had been through for the past two months, her crew still had a strong spirit. It seemed like wishing to

return to _the Ghost_ had finally gotten out of their system and they were ready to get back into the fight. And a good thing too. Hera was no Jedi, but she could feel that dark times were coming. This quest would no doubt set in motion things  
/that they wouldn't understand. And part of her felt like none of them would be the same after this was all over.

So be it.

* * *

After they had finished their packing,Ezra and Frodo were summoned toBilbo's room. The old hobbit wanted to givehis nephew some valuable items of his that he figuredthey might need on the journey. Ezra thought it wise to not be

too close to what was going on so he stayed a few feet away from the two and watched. He couldn't help but smile. The more he hung around these two, the more he could feel the strong bond between them.

Ezra knew that Bilbo had done so much for Frodo. He remembered the young hobbit once telling him in Bag End of how he came to live with his uncle. Like the young apprentice, Frodo had lost his parents, but Bilbo had welcomed him to live in his home with  
/open arms. Ezra knew what it was like to be ripped away from someone close. The Empire had taken away, not only his mother and father, but his home too. He could only imagine how hard it was for Frodo to have to part with his uncle yet again. And  
/who knows how long they'd be apart this time.

Fortunately, Bilbo seemed to keep his nephew entertained by showing him some of his possessions. Ones that he had surprisingly not shown Frodo before. Well technically there were only two things, from what he could hear as the twotalked. Bilbo first  
/pulled out what appeared to be a small dagger.

"My old sword, 'Sting'," the old hobbit explained as he handedit to Frodo, "Here take it. Take it!"

Ezra tried not to laugh. Did he just call that a sword? It looked more like a kitchen knife from his point of view. The 'sword' was covered by a smooth brown leather sheath. However, Frodo instantly unsheathed the blade and looked at it in awe. Ezra  
/suddenly did as well, for the weapon had several markings that strangely blended in beautifully with it.

"It's so light," Frodo remarked.

"Yes yes," Bilbo agreed, "Made by the Elves, you know." He then pointed at the sword and gave his nephew a serious stare, "The blade glows blue when Orcs are close. And it's times like that, my lad, when you have to be _extra_ careful."

That would definitely be helpful. Ezra wished they had things similar to that in the galaxy. It'd probably make things ten times easier to defeat the Empire. Were there things like that, he wondered? All his life he had lived on Lothal, never getting  
/to see the planetsbeyond. He had to admit he knew very little about the galaxy, except for a couple systems here and there along the Outer Rim.

Bilbo then smiled again and pulled out another thing from the trunk laying on his bead. Ezra looked curiously as the old hobbit pulled out what seemed to be a shirt made of rings. It was pure white, and almost had a sound similar to that of armor.

Bilbo showed it to Frodo, "Here's a pretty thing. Mithril. As light as a feather, andas hard as dragon scales. Let me see you put it on."

Ezra smirked. For once, he was glad to not be in the center of all this. No way in the world would _he_ want to put something like that on. No offense to the hobbit, but the shirt kind of looked absurd. Frodo began unbuttoning the top of his shirt.  
/However, when he did, Bilbo froze. His eyes fell upon a necklace around Frodo's neck that held the ring. Ezra slightly stiffened. The way the old hobbit looked at that thing made him feel a bit uneasy. He could only imagine how much Bilbo had become  
/attached to it. It had been his for 60 years.

"Oh," Bilbo exclaimed, smiling nervously, "My old ring." He then began to rub his hands together, "I should...very much like...to hold it again one last time."

Ezra suddenly felt tension within Frodo. He looked down and saw the young hobbit's hand slightly make a fist. This couldn't be good. Slowly, Frodo began to button his shirt back up, ignoring his uncle's comment. But then, the most unsettling thing happened.  
/Suddenly, Bilbo let out a startling snarl and tried to grab the ring from Frodo!To Ezra's horror, he found that he didn't look like a kind old hobbit. He looked like some sort of twisted terrifying creature. Frodo apparently saw it too because  
/he jumped back, and the young Jedi reached for his lightsaber.

But then he stopped. After a brief second, that horrifying sight vanished and Ezra just saw the same old Bilbo again. The hobbit stumbled back, clutching his head. He seemed to instantly regret what he had just tried to do. Ezra had no idea what he had  
/just seen, but he had a feeling it was related to the ring. He loosened his grip on his lightsaber and relaxed.

Bilbo stumbled onto his bed and buried his face in his hands. Ezra could see them slightly shaking, and he suddenly pitied the poor hobbit. Frodo seemed to relax too. Ezra was surprised to find that the young hobbit's hand had been wrapped around the  
/ring. Would he have fought his uncle for the ring?! Ezra decided to not even think that thought, for he didn't really want to know the answer.

"I'm sorry to have brought this upon you, my boy," Bilbo said shakily, "I'm sorry that you must carry this burden." All of a sudden, he began to heavily sob, "I'm sorry for everything."

Frodo then walked up and placed a comforting hand on his uncle's shoulder. Bilbo took it and clutched it, lightly smiling under the tears. Ezra felt sorry for him. He felt sorry for both of them, really. This ring had changed their lives, and not in a  
/good way. It had given them this unseen obsession for it, and the young Jedi didn't wish to see what would happen should some fight for it. He hoped he'd never have to.

That's why they needed to destroy it. For all their sakes. Ezra didn't know how long it'd take to get to Mordor, but for Frodo's sake, he hoped they could get there in one piece. The more the hobbit had that little piece of jewelry, the more protective  
/he became of it.

And he didn't wish to see his friend changed. Ezra prayed that the Force would be with them. They all would definitely need it.

* * *

All of the members of the Fellowship had finally gathered together. And with them, camethe whole town of Rivendell to see them off. Elrond stood in front of all his people, and Ezra caught sight of Bilbo and Arwen amongst the crowd. He already felt  
/nervous. It was finally time. They were going to set out on their quest. Everybody seemed a little pale faced, honestly.

"The ring bearer is setting out on a quest to Mount Doom," Elrond said aloud. He gazed upon each member of the Fellowship, "And you who travel with him no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will."

Ezra rose a brow. Go further than they will? What was that supposed to mean?

He leaned over and whispered to Kanan, "I thought this was supposed to be a commitment. Shouldn't we all be required to fulfill this quest to the very end?"

His master sighed and shrugged, "Kid, I doubt that everybody here knows what exactly their getting themselves into. They mean well, but that doesn't mean they'll feel the same way later on. Some might decide that they're done. And we have to prepare for  
/that to possibly happen."

It really didn't make much sense to Ezra. He still felt like they all should be commitedto this. Frodo was taking a big risk, and he wanted to be there for the hobbit every step of the way. However, as Ezra looked at his friends' faces, he knew

that they would definitely not leave the hobbit's side. They were rebels, after all.

Elrond then finally nodded to everyone, "Farewell. Hold to your purpose. And may the blessings of Elves, Men, and all free folk go with you." He then made a goodbye gesture with his hand.

Gandalf, who was at the head of the group, looked over to Frodo, "The Fellowship awaits the ring bearer."

All eyes turned towards the little hobbit. Frodo looked at them and slowly walked towards the front of the group. Gandalf smiled kindly at his little friend and went behind him, followed by the rest of the Fellowship. The crew of _the Ghost_ glanced  
/at each other and nodded reassuringly. They felt confident about what they were about to do, and there was definitely no turning back now.

Frodo suddenly whispered to Gandalf, "Mordor Gandalf. Is it left or right?"

Ezra and Zeb stifled a chuckle.

"Left," the wizard replied.

One by one, the company left the gates of Rivendell and outinto the world beyond. Aragorn was the last to exit. However, before he did so, he shot one last look at Arwen and nodded with a smile. The Elf returned said nod and forced a smile. The

ranger then turned to follow his companions out into the Wild.

And thus the journey to Mordor began.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter24: A Duel Between Two Warriors**  
 **  
**

 ****

Being a Mandalorian, Sabine Wren had almost no weaknesses. However, there was only one thing she could think of that made her cave in: Art. She loved art. Her paint canisters said as much. So one could imagine how sour she felt when she was forced to  
say goodbye to Rivendell. The city was so...beautiful. Every craft, every building, screamed art. Sabine had only wished she could've seen more. But then her mind came back to reality and she accepted the fact that they had a mission. And should  
she ever get the chance to set eyes on Rivendell again, she didn't want to see it all up in flames.

But she hated to leave.

As the Fellowship slowly climbed out of the hidden valley, Sabine looked back at Rivendell one last time. The city looked almost like a shimmeringcrown sitting on a hilltop from where she was standing. She understood why old Bilbo would want to  
live there. If she had a choice, she'd stay there forever. There was something about that city that got her attention. It wasn't just the art. Sabine wished she could stay longer to find out what that was. But her companions were already almost out  
of the valley, so for now, she had to bid her farewell to Rivendell and catch up.

The rest of _the Ghost_ crew didn't wish to leave Rivendell either, but the destruction of the ring was their number one priority. A couple eyes kept on looking back at the city until it was finally out of view. When that happened, they looked ahead  
to find a great plain before them. Even bigger than the ones they had seen in the Shire. Sabine could even see great mountains all about them. She heard a couple members of the Fellowship say that they were called the Misty Mountains. She had no idea  
why it was called that, though.

Eventually, Gandalf took the lead of the company, considering that he knew these lands better than the lot of them. Sabine was actually kind of relieved that the old man was actually coming with them for once. They sure could've used his help with the  
whole Ringwraith incident. And she still was a bit ticked that he hadn't met them in Bree, even though that had been months ago.

Legolas and Aragorn followed right behind the wizard, being the second best to know the land. Sabine wasn't surprised about that, though. Aragorn was a king after all. Unfortunately, she and the crew had to deal with Gimli and Boromir since they were  
at the end of the group. No surprise, the Gondorian kept on shooting glares back at them and the dwarf strangely seemed to tighten his grip on his axe every time Hera and Zeb got close to him.

What was it with those two anyways?! Sabine could see a lot of pride in both their eyes, but that didn't give them the right to be so judgemental over the crew, especially her. Oh, she had not forgotten Boromir's comment about how women shouldn't  
be allowed to fight. That was the greatest insult someone could give to a Mandalorian. Sabinehad no idea what kind of sick world that man had grown up in, but if he continued to give her trouble, she'd show him what it was like to be a Mandalorian.  
That was a promise!

Should she do it with her fists...or her _blasters,_ she wondered?

Ezra interrupted her train of thoughts, "Is it just me, or does this land seem to get bigger and bigger the farther we go?"

Zeb huffed, "Could be just you." The Jedi glared at him, but he ignored it as he continued, "The real question is: Doesn't it feel like we're alwayshaving to travel ever since we got here?"

Ezra shrugged, "Well, we do have a job to do."

Zeb rolled his eyes and let out a low groan, "We _always_ have a job to do."

Sabine had to agree with him on that one. Even before they arrived in Middle Earth, they had a job to do. There had never seemed to be any rest back at _Chopper Base_. It was always battling against the Empire.

Ezra smirked and pointed at himself, "We're _rebels_ , remember?"

Zeb didn't respond. He just rolled his eyes again and keapt walking, his hand clutching one of the bags over his shoulder. Sabine and Ezra were carrying similar bags, containing some of their supplies. Hera and Kanan had walked up ahead to quietly talk  
with Gandalf and Aragorn. Sabine rose a brow. They always seemed to be having secret conversations without their knowing. For a time, that had been an issue with the young Mandalorian. Before they had joined Phoenix Squadron, she had a hard time trusting  
Hera and Kanan, for they had been working for a secret agent codenamed Fulcrum, and they never reveled much about it. However, they eventually learned that Fulcrum was former Jedi survivor, Ahsoka Tano, one of the leaders of Phoenix Squadron.

But ever since then, Sabine had found herself trusting her friends more and more each day.

Ezra looked at her and frowned, "I'm surprised that you were okay about having to leave Rivendell."

Sabine half laughed, "You think I was okay? Believe me, the farther we get on this journey, the more I'm gonna miss it."

Ezra laughed and shook his head, "You know, even after everything we've been through these past couple months, you still seem to be the same."

Her smile some odd reason, that suddenly made Sabine feel down. Why?What was so wrong about what he just said? It just...got her for some reason.

"Eh, mostly," she finally commented, "but there are some parts of me that've changed."

Ezra and Zeb looked at each other and then asked at the same time, "Like what?"

"A whole lot of things, thank you very much!" Sabine retorted.

Zeb rose a brow and then gave a small grin, "Well...you do look a bit dirtier."

As soon as the Lasat said that, both he and Ezra burst out laughing. Sabine just gave them a dirty look and punched them hard in the shoulder.

"Why do you guys think I'm not different?!" she asked defensively.

Ezra scratched his head, trying to think of a good explanation. Sabine just gave him an impatient look, waiting for an answer. She knew he was wanting to open his big mouth.

"Well..." Ezra answered slowly, "you're a Mandalorian. And for as long as we've known you, you've seemed to be distant and alone a lot. And I've not really seen anything from that that's changed."

Sabine looked at him in disbelief, "How, after all we've been through since we got here, have I been distant?! That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! I even rode you all the way to Rivendell because of your injury! Is that not different?"

Ezra looked down and shrugged, "I guess."

Sabine had no idea why this was bugging her so much. This seemed silly to be bugged about. She was a warrior. Why did something so little have an effect on her? She felt like she had to prove to Ezra that she was different. But...why? Why did she  
care so much about that? After a few seconds, she just decided to let it go. She needed to keep her head in the game.

But then all of a sudden, she noticed Gimli giving her a strange look. The dwarf had a frown and kept on looking at her up and down as if confused.

"Um...is there a problem?" Sabine asked, crossing her arms.

Gimli pointed at her hair and attire, "Why are you dressed like that?"

Sabine bit her lip and replied, "Like what?"

"With all those colors," the dwarf answered, looking at her weirdly, "They don't look threatening or warrior-like in the slightest. Thosehave to be the most preposterous colors for hair and armor!"

Zeb placed his hands on his hips and scowled at him, "Who invited _you_ into this conversation?"

"She did," Gimli replied bluntly, pointing at the Mandalorian. "You should pay more attention, lad. It might do ya some good."

When the dwarf looked back up ahead, Zeb made a fist and was about ready to punch him, but Ezra stopped him and shook his head not too. The Lasat at first ignored the kid, but when he saw Kanan shoot him a warning look, he relaxed his hand. Rex just rolled  
his eyes and pretended to be thinking about something else.

Sabine walked up beside Gimli, and looked at him with a raised brow, "You don't seem to have an appreciation forart, do you, dwarf?"

Gimli looked at her in shock, as if offended by what she said, "Don't appreciate art?! My lady, _all_ dwarves have a deep regard for art! Why, we even make it!"

Ezra looked confused, "You make paint?"

"Paint?!" Gimli huffed, glaring at the young Jedi, " _Paint_?! Are you mad, boy?! Paint is a wasteof time!" Before Ezra could ask howhe appreciated art, he answered immediately with a prideful smile on his face, "The real art...is stone."

Zeb made a gagging sound, "Stone? Are you joking me?"

Sabine held up a hand for the Lasat to shut up and looked back at the dwarf, "Stone? That's very interesting. Please tell me more."

She wasn't joking, it did sound very interesting. Don't get her wrong, she had seen stone sculptures on Mandalore, but had never really paid much attention to them. However, she was very interested to hear what the dwarves thought of them.

Gimli looked up to the sky in thought as he answered, "To a dwarf, stone is home. Stone is our life. Every day, we live in it, mine it, carve it. We discover so many remarkable objects and create thousands of amazingstatues. Some are dedicated to  
our fathers and their fathers before them." He then chuckled to himself, "It is true a dwarf can live far over 200 years, but that is still too short a life in our eyes. And there is never a guarantee that we'll all live to be that old."

Sabine gave him a look of sympathy, "That's sad."

Gimli made a passive wave with his hand, "That may be the case for most...but it'll take more than an army of Orcs to take this dwarf down!"

Ezra leaned over to Zeb and whispered, "Should we try a Star Destroyer?"

They both quietly chuckled to themselves, to which the dwarf took no notice of. Sabine just glared at them and then smiled.

"Your honor is admirable, Gimli," she said, "If we were in my...country, you would be held in high honor."

Gimli looked at her and frowned again, "Where do you come from, if I may ask?"

Sabine grinned nervously, "Far far away."

Boromir then looked over at them and replied, "Apparently so, sinceyou are surprisinglyallowed to fight."

Sabine bither lip again, and this time her teeth drew blood. This guy was really asking for it, and she was finding it more and more difficult to restrain herself.

"And I'm surprised they allowed someone with your stupidity to be considered a captain," she replied back.

Ezra and Zeb's eyes went wide and they slappedtheir hands over their mouths, having a laughing fit.

Boromir just chuckled sarcasticallyand shook his head, "Your insults do not intimidate me, woman."

Sabine clutched her fists and sighed, pretending to give up, "That's a pity," she then gave him a threatening look, "because they _should._ "

That got the Gondorian. Sabine could see a look of discomfort in his eyes, but he immediately blocked it bad attempted to act unbothered. He tightened his grip on his shield and walked up ahead. And Sabinewas very glad to see him go.

Gimli chuckled pleasingly and patted the Mandalorian on the shoulder, "Well played, my lady. Well played."

She smiled at him. Okay, so maybe the dwarf wasn't so bad after all. Sabine could see herself getting along with him quite well. Boromir, on the other hand, would be an issue. It'd take a miracle for her to get along with that man. She had no idea why  
he seemed to be so against women. Obviously this guy had never had any encounters with Mandalorians. If that had been the case, he'd be a dead man right now. So why didn't she put him in his place? Well of course there was an obvious answer to that.  
Honor. Even the most despised beings could not take away a Mandalorian's honor. But if it did get to them, there was a civilized way to settle it. Well, civilized to her, at least. Sabine wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet, though. She'd just  
have to wait and see.

The Fellowship walked on for a good couple hours, some admiring the scenery around them, specifically the hobbits and the crew of _the Ghost_. These lands were far more bigger than the Shire and the land surrounding the village of Bree. Sabine could  
see why it'd be considered dangerous. She could almost imagine things lurking withinthe shadows of the mountains. She wondered if any of these 'Orcs' actually lived in the mountains. Probably. Being a Mandalorian, she had seen creatures across  
the galaxy that did similar things like that.

How far has the darkness of Mordor spread, she wondered? Yes, the black riders had infiltrated the Shire, but they were only few. Would Sauron also dispatch a force that he deemed necessary to crush these lands? What was she thinking?! Of course he would!  
Sauron and the Empire had differences, but they most definitely had similarities too. They both seeked to crush anything that is good. Although, Sabine doubted Sauron could do what the Empire made her to do. She could still remember how she had followed  
their orders blindly when she had been a cadet. What she had done, basically enslaved all of Mandalore. It made Sabine feel better knowing that nightmare wasn't here, though. And she hoped it'd never come here.

Gandalf glancedat all of them and finally spoke aloud so they couldhear him, "We must hold this course West of the Misty Mountains for 40 days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns East,  
to Mordor."

"40 days?!" Zeb whispered quietly in frustration, "Karabast!" 

* * *

The company had been traveling for a good couple days. By that time, they had been traveling closer and closer to the mountains. Every time Sabine looked up, she could see their tall peeksnext to the bright blue sky. It was a rather extraordinary  
view. Part of her wished she could climb up to the top of one of the mountains and have a look around. Too bad she didn't have a jet pack. That'd really come in handy.

There was one group of mountains that really got her attention though. Gandalf called it the Pass of Caradhras. Sabine could see mounds of _snow_ on top of these mountains. Snow! How weirder could this world get?! And from the look of it, Caradhras  
didn't look like the most pleasant place to travel through. Gandalf, however, assured the Fellowship that there would be no need to go through thesnowy mountains, unless it was absolutely necessary. Fortunately, they hadn't run into any trouble,  
so the probability of something unexpected happening was very slim.

When it was getting close to noon, the wizard allowed everybody to eat and rest for a bit. Sam prepared a fire and began to cook up some meat and stew for the hungry travelers. Hera and Sabine volunteered to help him out while the rest of the Fellowship  
scattered, some keeping quiet to themselves. Merry and Pippin were surprisingly nowhere near tired, so Boromir thought he should teach the two halflings how to fight with a sword. Aragorn, Ezra, Zeb, and Frodo sat around the three and watched. Legolas  
was the farthest away from the group, moving from one rock to another. Sabine eyed the Elf curiously. He appeared to be scouting around. Honestly, the Mandalorian preferred to keep her eyes on _him_ instead of Boromir.

Gandalf, Kanan, and Gimli, were sitting a little ways away behind the company, discussing their route. The wizard had taken out his pipe and listened as Gimli paced back and forth rambling on and on about stuff that Sabine couldn't hear very well.

When Sam had finished preparing the food, he first offered some to the two women, to which the eagerly accepted. They were famished, especially after all the traveling. Sam then ran a tray to Frodo and the others. He frowned and shook his head as Merry  
and Pippin were almost dancing around and blocking Bormoir's soft blows.

The Gondorian swung his sword up, "Two," then right, "One," then left, "Five." He then smiled and nodded atthe hobbits, pleasingly, "Good! Very good!"

"Remember to move your feet," Aragorn advised both halflings as he smoked his own pipe.

Boromir swung again, a bit harder this time, but Merry and Pippin seemed to be getting the hang of it. They were feeling proud of themselves. Sabine, however, was not pleased. Boromir's fighting skills seemed a bit sloppy in her opinion. As a Mandalorian,  
she had been trained in the most violent fighting arts ever known in the galaxy. But as she watched the training, she didn't see _any_ of those stances. And it was bugging her.

"Sabine," Hera said, interrupting her thoughts, "You realize that you're just playing with your stew, right?"

Sabine looked down and realized that she had indeed been fidgetingwith her bowl. She had not even realized that she kept jabbing her spoon down to the bottom of the bowl.

"Oops," she exclaimed embarrassingly, "sorry, Hera."

The Twi'lek smirked and rose a brow at her friend, "Alright, spill it."

Sabine looked up, trying to act like nothing was wrong, "Pardon?"

Hera just smiled and shook her head, "You've been giving Boromir the death stare ever since we left Rivendell. What is it this time?"

Nothing ever seemed to slip by the Twi'lek captain. She could read everybody without giving a second glance. That's what it seemed like to Sabine. She sighed and glanced over at the 'training'.

"There are just some non-Mandalorian teachers that bug me sometimes," she simply replied, setting her bowl down.

Hera nodded and smirked again, "And Boromir is one of them, I take it?"

Sabine nodded and watched disappointedly, "Oh yeah."

Hera placed a hand on her forehead, knowing exactly what the Mandalorian was thinking, "Don't do it, Sabine. We've already squabbled enough with that man, I don't want to cause any more trouble."

Sabine simply nodded. She'd try her best to leave it alone, but she couldn'tkeep any promises. She then decided to return to her stew. Maybe that could keep her distracted.

Meanwhile, Gimli was beginning to question the road they were taking. Gandalf and Kanan simply listened and remained unresponsive.

"If anyone was asking for my opinion, which I know they're not," Gimli said grudgingly, "I'd say we were taking the long way round."

Kanan frowned and crossed his arms, "With all due respect, isn't this the only way to get to Mordor?"

Gimli shook his head, "Lad, there are plenty more paths to get to that fell place than just this one. And honestly, I don't think it wise to go to the Gap of Rohan. Isn't Isengard not that far from there?"

Gandalf's expression seemed to darken at the mention of that place, but he nodded yes to the dwarf's question. Kanan remembered the wizard telling him of Saruman the White betraying them, and that Isengard was his stronghold. He was actually beginning  
to agree with Gimli on this one. If this 'Gap of Rohan' was right next to Isengard, was it really a wise decision to take the ring there?However, if they didn't go through that land to get to Mordor, then where would they go?

Gimli answered his thoughts instantly.

He looked to the wizard, with a gleam in his eye, "Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome."

Kanan suddenly saw Gandalf slightly grow pale in the face and immediately shake his head.

"No, Gimli," the old man replied sternly, "I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice."

Gimli looked down and sighed disappointedly. Kanan looked at Gandalf confusedly, wondering why he didn't approve of the idea to go through these mines that the dwarf spoke of. However, before he could ask the wizard why, there was a loud shout from the  
camp. The three looked over to see Boromir standing in front of Sabine and looking down at her. Hera had buried her face in her hands and kept on shaking her head repeatedly.

"I take it you have something to say?" the Gondorian rudelyaskedSabine.

The Mandalorian pretended to take no notice of him and just ate her stew. Unfortunately, the more she did so, the more irritated Boromir became. Ezra and Zeb watched them wide eyed, wondering what was going to happen. They could see the man getting red  
in the face.

"Do you, woman?!" Boromir demanded.

Sabine finally looked up at him and shrugged, "Who? Me?"

Boromir had no patience for her games, "If you got something to say, then just _say_ it!"

Sabine nodded and stood up, "Okay. I think your fighting techniques are sloppy. What are you trying to do? Get those hobbits killed?"

Merry and Pippin looked at each other, and walked over behindEzra and Zeb, having a hunch that trouble was about to occur.

Boromir put his face close to hers and answered, "This is how all Gondorians fight, woman. And we have survived with these 'techniques' for thousands of years."

"Hmm," Sabine mused sarcastically, "It's a wonder you're still alive."

She too, had no desire to deal with the man, so she picked up her empty stew bowl and carried it over next to the fireplace. Boromir, though, wasn't done with the Mandalorian, so he marched after her. Everybody watched from a good distance. Hera eventually  
got up from where she was sitting to join them. It was as if she knew what was gonna happen. Even Chopper covered his mechanical eyes as he watched the scene.

Boromir suddenly grabbed Sabine by the arm and turned her around to face him, "Who are you to judge me?! I am a captain, the son of Gondor's Stewart! And what are you?" He looked down at her attire and scoffed, "A woman with no sense of respect."

Sabine's eyes flamed and she slapped his arm away, "What do you mean by 'respect'?! Is this still about that bunch of poodoo about how woman shouldn't fight?!" She jabbed a finger right in his face, "Let me tell you something, _captain_ : I have plenty  
of sense! I have respect! Why? Because I'm a Mandalorian!"

Boromir just rose a brow and shrugged, "Is that supposed to mean something?"

"Yes, it does," Sabine answered through gritted teeth, "In my experience, Mandalorians are the better warriors. We know what it takes to actually win a war."

Boromir crossed his arms, "And are you saying that Gondor doesn't?"

Sabine just huffed and replied, "Well you definitely don't."

"I got a bad feeling about this," Zeb muttered.

Ezra glanced at him and whispered back, "Just a bad feeling?"

Now, it was Boromir's turn to jab his finger at the Mandalorian. And he was nowhere near gentle, but it didn't bother Sabine in the slightest. She just stared at him and gave him the dirtiest look ever.

"You don't know anything about me, woman," Boromir muttered angrily, "You've never seen what I can do. You've never seen what I've done for my people. And I don't know anything about you. You claim that your people are the better warriors, yet I find  
that very hard to believe."

Oh that did it. He finally asked for it. Sabine wasn't holding back anymore.

"Then why don't we see who's better?" she suggested.

"Sabine," Hera said in a warning tone of voice.

Boromir stepped back and let out a little laugh, "Is that a challenge?!"

Sabine clenched her fists and stepped forward, "Oh it is. I challenge you to a duel, captain. Here. Right now. Single combat. _All_ of our attire. Let's prove who's the better warrior."

Everybody staredat them wide eyed in surprise. However, the hobbits' surprised expressions turned into wide grins. The rest of the group didn't know what to think. This was either going to turn out really good or really bad.

Aragorn stepped in between the two, "Whoa whoa. My friends, is this really necessary? I'm sure that you two are very skilled in your own way. But do you really need to prove yourselves?"

"No," Boromir interrupted, looking at Sabine challengingly, "I accept your challenge, woman. And this might indeed be interesting to see."

Sabine nodded sternly, "Yes, it will."

With that being said, the fire was put out and everything that was at the center of the campsight was pushed away. The members of the Fellowship sat down far away against a column of rocks while the two warriors walked to the center. They were both dressed  
in full armor with whatever weapons they had to their disposal.

Boromir had a sword and shield, as well as a small dagger attached to his belt. He had removed his cloak and threw it to the side. Sabine had a good view of his armor, which wasn't that impressive. The Gondorian paced around the center of the campsight,  
unsheathing his sword and swinging it around, waiting for the duel to begin.

Sabine had all of her Mandalorian armor on, including her helmet. Honestly, she just had it on so nobody could see her grinning mockingly at the 'captain' before her. For weapons, she was mainly holding the sword that Aragorn had given to her on Weathertop.  
Her twin blasters and bombs were clipped to her belt. She wasn't really thinking about using them. At least not right now.

As for the witnesses, the hobbits' and even Gimli seemed very eager to watch how this would turn out. Legolas eyed both Sabine and Boromir curiously, not sure how to react to this rather rash behavior. Gandalf simply frowned and shook his head, thinking  
thisslightly madness. The crew of _the Ghost_ looked the most troubled. They, unlike the others, knew Sabine, and they knew how she got when it came to proving herself. Ezra and Zeb were placing bets on how quickly Boromir was going to die.  
Hera, Kanan, and Rex kept on giving each other uncomfortable glances. This was not how they had wanted this journey to start out. But unfortunately, they couldn't do anything about it.

Sabine studied her opponent. She had to admit, there was a good chance that he would survive this fight for a while. But for how long? She had no clue. And who knows, maybe Boromir would surprise her, but she doubted it. Dealing with all this kind of  
reminded Sabine of her encounter with that sleemo,Bill Ferny, at _the Prancing Pony_. That guy had learned the hard way not to mess with a Mandalorian woman. Would Boromir be the same way? Probably not. Unlike that drunken lunatic, this  
guy was an actual soldier. Who knew what surprises he had up his sleeve. Sabine was eager to find out, though.

She hasn't had a duel like this since the Imperial Academy. That was when she and been good friends with her fellow Mandalorian, Ketsu Onyo. They had always practiced in one of Mandalore's courtyards at night. Around that time, there weren't really as  
many stormtroopers out and about. The two had several goals that they had wanted to achieve together. Specifically, they had wished to work for the Black Sun, and become the most feared bounty hunters across the galaxy. However, that was in the past.  
When Sabine was abandoned by Ketsu, it changed her a great deal, especially when she became a rebel. She had realized that she had been selfish and blind. Being a part of Black Sun meant nothing to her anymore. But freeing the galaxy from the tyranny  
of the Empire did.

It was time. Sabine was ready, and so was Boromir. The two began to walk along the edge of the rock upon which they stood. They stares each other in the eyes, tightening their grip on their swords.

Boromir tilted his head and gave her a fake smile, "Don't worry, woman, I'll take it easy on you."

Sabine returned said fake smile, "Funny. I was about to say the same thing to you." She then pointed her sword at him, "And just so you know, this _woman's_ name is Sabine."

Boromir gave a mocking bow, "Well then, let's get started, _Sabine_."

Both opponents raised their swords in front of their faces. Everything turned abosultly still. None of those who were watching were breathing. To Sabine, they seemed to fade away from the corner of her eyes. All she could see was Boromir, staring at her,  
waiting for her to make a move. But the Mandalorian didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her move first, so she just stood there, as still as a statue, giving him the same stare.

Then, before Sabine knew what was happening, Boromir charged at her and brought his sword up. Without a second thought, the Mandalorian leapt back and brought her own blade up just in time to block the first blow. There was a loud clanging sound when  
the blades came together. Boromir then brought his sword up again and made a hard swing to the left. Sabine blocked again. He then swung to the right, to which she blocked, but then took that opportunity to kick him in the knee and leap behind him.  
The Gondorian grunted inpain, but saw Sabine twirl around and attempt to strike him from behind. He was faster than she thought, however, and blocked her move.

Unexpectedly, Boromir then swung his shield at her and it hit her hard in the arm,almost makingher lose her grip on her sword. But she still held on tight and made a few swings of her own at the Gondorian. They stood in one place for a couple  
seconds, clashing their blades together blow after blow. As hard as it was for Sabine to admit, Boromir was defiantly holding his own right now. Did she underestimate him, however? Heck no!

When the Mandalorian swung her blade to the left, Boromir suddenly blocked the blow with his shield and hit her straight in the helmet with the blunt of his sword. Sabine immediately saw tons of dots before her eyes, but they didn't block her view of  
her opponent. The Gondorian made a swing down to her legs, and her sword quickly met his. They then began to fight across the center of the rock. Boromir swung for her head, and she ducked. Sabine then swung her sword up to meet the tip of hisarm,  
but he jumped to the side.

The Gondorian seemed a little alarmed by that move. She could've chopped a chunk of his arm off! He gritted his teeth and made five hard swings at the woman. Sabine blocked each, although the last one almost made her lose her balance. She then made seven  
horizontal swings, which Boromir could not block, so he had no choice but to quickly jump back at every blow. He stumbled a bit after his last jump, and Sabine dived and rolled behind him, then swung her leg hard against his arm, making him lose his  
grip on his shield. The round piece of metal went rolling off the rock and towards the watching members of the Fellowship.

Sabine grinned behind her helmet. Now her opponent was down one weapon for protection. This was starting to become interesting. Boromir grabbed his sword with both hands and then spun around and swung his sword hard to the right, then up, then down, and  
then left. Sabine grabbed her sword with both her hands as well and blocked, but when he finished, she made a few more blows of her own, this time surprisingly swinging faster. That took the Gondorian by surprise. He had never seen anyone swing that  
fast.

When their blades met, Sabine pushed them both to the right, and kicked the man right in the stomach. Boromir bent down, which allowed the Mandalorian to shove him face down onto the ground. He rolled onto his back, though, and held up his blade as Sabine  
brought hers down several times. It was rather difficult to defend himself lying down. However, Sabine failed to see him suddenly move one leg and swipe it hard against hers, knocking her off her feet. She hit the ground with a thud.

Boromir hopped back onto his feet. He had the high ground now. He brought his sword down with one powerful blow. He pressed his blade hard against Sabine's and attempted to move it down towards her neck. For a couple seconds, it looked like he was succeeding.  
Sabine's arms her starting to shake and she could feel sweat trickling down the sides of her face. She looked around to see if she could spot any way of escape. As it so happened, there was. Boromir's legs were slightly spread apart.

Good. That was exactly what she needed.

She brought her foot up and kicked the Gondorian in between the legs. That caused Boromir to gasp and his grip weakened. Sabine smirked and pushed her sword upward. As she did so, she got back on her feet. Boromir had not fully recovered from the blow,  
which made him struggle to block Sabine's hard swings.

The Mandalorian then made a hard left blow, almost making Boromir lose his grip on his sword. He reached out with his other hand to grasp it, but indoing so, gave Sabine the chance to seize him by the arm, twist it,and flip him onto his back.  
That smarted. The Gondorian let go of his sword and grabbed his other arm on extreme pain. He didn't cry out though, and instead gritted his teeth hard.

Sabine kicked his sword away. When he recovered from the pain, she then pressed her blade against his neck. He looked up at her and gasped forbreath, both exhausted and a bit shaken. Everybody who was watching just sat there, wide eyed. They knew  
right then and there that the duel was over. Ezra suddenly groaned disappointedly and handed Zeb five credits. The Lasat grinned, shooting the kid a look saying "I told you so."

Sabine removed her helmet and welcomed the cool wind blowing against her face. Her eyes then went back down to Boromir and she frowned.

"You know," she finally said, "in Mandalorian custom, a single combat would result in one opponent's death." She then removed her blade from his neck, "But since I'm such a noble woman, I'll spare your life."

Boromir just stared at her, a blank expression on his face. _The Ghost_ crew watched him, wondering how he would react to all this. A couple of them suspected he'd become furious at getting beaten by a woman so easily. However, to their shock, Boromir  
suddenly smiled and burst out laughing. Not the mocking laughter that they had heard before, but actual laughter. Sabine too began to laugh and just threw down her sword and reached out a hand to help the Gondorian up. He gladly accepted and gave  
her a firm pat on the shoulder. As surprising as it was for him to react this way, it made the whole group silently sigh with relief.

Boromir then gave her a respectful bow, "My apologies, my lady. You are indeed a strong warrior."

Sabine smiled and nodded, "You're not so bad yourself, captain."

The man chuckled and nodded his thanks. He then placed a hand on her shoulder. "I am sure you would've made your people proud ifthey saw you today."

When he said that, Sabine had to force a smile. Don't get her wrong, she appreciated his compliment, but in her eyes, those words were a lie. Her people wouldn't have been proud of her because she was an outcast. In their eyes, she was no longer a true  
Mandalorian, especially for fighting against the Empire. Boromir didn't know that, however, so she just brushed it off.

"As would yours," she replied, "They have indeed taught you well."

Hera leaned over to Kanan and whispered, "Well, I'm glad this little problem seems resolved."

Kanan smirked and nodded, "Agreed."

As the Fellowship began to place all their things back, Legolas suddenly looked to the South. His eyes narrowed and he rushed over to the edge of one of the large rocks. Sabine handed Boromir back his sword as that finished talking, but then her eyes  
went to the Elf. What was he looking at this time? But when she followed his gaze, she actually did see something strange this time. Out in the distance, there was a large light brown color in the sky. Curious, she walked up beside Legolas to get  
a closer look. She couldn't tell what it was, though. It was really far off.

For a second, it almost looked like a small cloud, but the more she stares at it, the more unsure she became.

Sam noticed it too and asked aloud, "What's that?"

Everyone else's eyes turned towards the sky, and they too saw the strange brown mass. Gandalf's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing!" Gimli said with a passive wave, "Its only a wisp of cloud!"

Boromir shook his head, uncertainly, "But it's moving fast...against the wind."

Sabine agreedwith him. The wind was moving at their back, and yet this thing seemed to be coming towards them. If it wasn't a cloud then what in the world was it?

Legolas's eyes widened and he shouted, "Crebain from Dunland!"

The crew of _the Ghost_ looked at each other, confused. What did that mean? However, when Aragorn suddenly yelled, "Hide!", they got the hint that it was obviously something bad. Without another word, the whole Fellowship grabbed their things and  
began running to a tall column of rocks. Aragorn, Boromir, and the four hobbits ducked under a mass of bushes while the rest of the group took shelter under the rocks.

For a few minutes, everything was silent. But then, Sabine thought she could hear the floppingof thousands of wings. Suddenly, she saw a whole swarm of black birds fly overhead, circling the whole entire campsight. The Mandalorianwas stunned  
at how many there were. She had never seen birds fly in such a large group like this before. There was something strange about them. And judging by Legolas's reaction, these weren't any ordinary birds.

Kanan felt the same way, and frowned suspiciously as he watched the birds. The Jedi sensed something dark coming from these lifeforns. These were not friendlies, and he could only imagine what they'd do if they spotted them.

Finally, after circling for who knows how long, the Crebain flew off back the way they came. When they were a good ways away, the Fellowship emerged from their hiding spots and watched them until they were out of sight.

"Spies of Saruman!" Gandalf sulked, "The passage South is being watched."

Spies. Great. That was just what they needed. And just when things were seeming to be alright thus far. Sabine just looked South to where the birds flew and shook her head. Apparently, their original route was no longer safe, and she suspected the wizard  
was going to find a new one. However, she then saw Gandalf lookup at the snowy mountains before him, and to her complete dread, she knew what he was thinking.

Gandalf sighed, "We must take the Pass of Caradhras."

Everybody looked up in dread after he said that. They had hoped that they wouldn't have had to go through these mountains, but now since it was their only choice, their day had just become a whole lot worse. 

* * *

**Hey, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. :) I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I've just been so busy with classes, and it's taking me a longer time to write these chapters. But I promise you that I'm not gonna stop writing this story anytime soon. lol. I enjoy writing it, and I hope you guys enjoy reading it. :) Till next time. :)**


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 25: Caradhras Part 1**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

Zeb Orriliouswas agitated. Why? Well, for many reasons. First of all, the Lasat had found himself stranded on a mysterious planet with no way off. Then, hemet some of the locals, two of which he despised as soon as he met them. And after that,  
he was pulled into a crazy adventure where he was hunted by the bloody undead! And now, he was on yet another journey and traveling up a mountain covered in snow!  
 _  
_

 _Very cold_ snow.

Well of course it was cold. It was supposed to be bloody cold! But the bad part was that it was making Zeb freeze to death. His feet had already gone numb, and he thought he could feel icicles forming on his beard. So yes, that's why he was grumpy. And  
it was one of those days where he wanted to punch somethingor _someone_ in the face. Too bad there weren't any stormtroopers around. He'd give anything just to punch those bucket heads.

But fornow, he had no choice but to walk through Caradhras. The snowy landscape was even worse than what it had appeared. And the Lasat could see everybody else suffering through the cold too. Except they seemed to handle it betterthan he  
did. Why couldn't he not be bothered by it as much? He was a Lasat! And Lasats could survive through anything! And yethe was freezing in the cold?! Why were they even traveling through the cold in the first place?! Zeb had signed up to go to _Mordor_ ,  
a land that supposedly dry and humid!

The Lasat's right foot suddenly sank into the snow, making the cold spread up to his legs. He growled frustratingly and yanked his foot out before walking forward again. He was at the rear of the Fellowship, along with Ezra and Sabine. Kanan, Hera, Rex,  
and Chopper were walking in front of them. Zeb could feel his teeth chattering as it got colder and colder.

"Nobody ever said anything about cold!" he quietly grumbled.

Kanan, however, heard him and frowned, "And when we crashed here,nobody ever said anything about going to destroy rings of power." He then pointed all around them, "Yet here we are. Just keep moving and you'll feel better, Zeb."

"I've _been_ moving," Zeb replied, becoming even grumpier, "I've been moving for 4 bloody hours! And I'm not feeling any better."

Kanan shrugged, "Well...then just think warm."

Ezra andSabine smirked at that remark and glanced back at Zeb. Unfortunately, the Lasat didn't find that funny in the slightest.

Ezra pointed forward and and gave him a salute, "Carry on, Captain Orrilious."

Zeb just glared at him and didn't say anything. Think warm. That was so 'funny.' Of course Kanan would say something like that. Jedi seemed to be trained to handle the cold. Zeb never liked the cold, though. Especially after being stranded on one of the  
Moons of Geonosis with Agent Kallus.

To make things even worse, a breeze came across the landscape, making the Lasat feel even more cold! Not only that, but it also blew snow right into his face!He kept on shooting dirty looks at Kanan, and began muttering things under his breath.

"Karabast mountain," Zeb growled, "Karabast Kanan. Karabast planet. Karabast snow."

Suddenly, his foot made contact with something slippery. He figured it was ice. Within the next second, Zeb lost his balance and collapsed on his back onto the snow. And a whole bunch of the cold substance immediately covered him.

"Karabast!" he shireked furiously.

Ezra and Sabine saw him laying there and burst out laughing before rushing back down the hill to help him up. Rex followed after just pushed their hands aside and got up by himself, brushing the snow off him.

"Zeb," Ezra said slowly, trying to hold back his laughter, "are you alright?"

Zeb just gave him a glare and answered, "Oh I'm just fine. Can't you see the big smile on my face?" He then finished brushing the snow off himand muttered, "I'm beginning to regret coming on this journey."

Rex chuckled and placed a hand on the Lasat's shoulder, "We all have regrets in adventure. But sometimes we just got to pullourselves together and do what needs to be done. Especially for those in need."

Zeb just nodded, not really caring what anybody was saying right now. He understood what the clone was trying to say though, and regretfully decided to bare through the cold weather. At least there were no storms coming. That'd be ten times worse. Honestly,  
the moons of Geonosis were evenmore terriblethan this place. That was Zeb's opinion, at least.

Gandalf, as always, was at the head of the group, and the Lasat was very glad that he was. That old man had been leading them through a lot of rough places ever since they left Rivendell. And now he was taking them through mountains of snow to who knows  
where! Zeb knew going to this..'Rogan' place was out of the question. But honestly, he wouldn't have minded the 40 day walk now, specifically since there was probably warmerthan here. If he were up closer to Gandalf, Zeb knew he'd no doubt have  
a couple 'words' with the wizard. Even after being in Middle Earth for so many months, the old man still gave him the creeps.

Just then, Zeb's head suddenly snapped up and he was immediately relieved to findthat he wasn't the _only_ one to be slipping in this snow. Poor Frodo had accidentally tripped and was rolling back down the hill the Fellowship was currently climbing  
up. Fortunately, Aragorn was not that far behind him and rushed up to catch the hobbit. Gandalf and the others up ahead had stopped and turned around to see if the Ring Bearer was alright.

Frodo brushed snow off his cloak and nodded at Aragorn, both thanking him and indicating he was alright. But then Zeb saw the hobbit all of a sudden start to panic as he was searching his neck. He was about to ask what was wrong, but then realized that  
the ring wasn't around Frodo's neck. For some odd reason, the Lasat panicked as well and he found his own eyes scanning the area around him for something small and made of gold.

He caught sight of it immediately.

It was up ahead, close to the others. Frodo saw it too and was about to walk back up to recover it, but then halted. Zeb stiffened when he saw Boromir bend down and pick the ring up. Everybody froze and eyed the Gondorian suspiciously (and fearfully).  
Rex's eyes narrowed, as did Aragorn's. Boromir was staring at it in complete awe. From Zeb's point of view, the man looked like he was under some sort of trance. His full attention seemed to be focused on the ring.

"Boromir," Aragorn said cautiously.

The Gondorian didn't appear to hear him. Zeb could feel his stomach clench, and he had no idea why. He couldn't fully explain it, but he really didn't want Boromir to be holding the ring. Zeb then looked to his side and rose a brow when he saw Rex slowly  
reachingfor his blasters. And Aragorn's hand had grasped onto the hilt of his sword.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt," Boromir quietly remarked. "Over so small a thing." He had a look of desire upon his face, almost similar to the one he had during the Council. Slowly, he reached out his other hand to  
touch it. "Such a little thing."

"Boromir!" Aragorn shouted.

This time, the man heard him and snapped back into reality. His hand lowered from the ring and he looked over at the ranger.

Aragorn nodded his head down to the hobbit in front of him, "Give the ring to Frodo."

An awkward silence passed. Boromir just stared blankly at Aragorn for a few seconds, and then looked down at Frodo. The hobbit had a look of desperation in his eyes. Zeb could even see the little guy's hands shaking, wanting to just walk up to the Gondorian  
and take the ring out of his hands. Then, after looking down at the ground for a brief second, Boromir slowly walked down the hill towards the ranger and the hobbit.

Rex's jaw clenched and he began to raise his blasters. Now Zeb too was nervous, and reached back for his bo-rifle. He was praying that this guy didn't try anything foolish.

Boromir then shakingly nodded, "As you wish. I care not."

He held the ring out to Frodo, and the hobbit immediately snatched it and put it around his neck again. Aragorn gave Boromir awarning glare, but it didn't disturb the Gondorian at all. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead  
chuckled and ruffled Frodo's hair before walking back up the hill. Relieved, everybody released their grip on their weapons.

Aragorn looked up to Gandalf and nodded that everything was fine. The wizard frowned concerningly, but then turned around and began walking again. Everybody else followed.

Even though theyseemed to be warming up to each other, Zeb hada strange feeling that there was still some tension between all of them. He hoped, though, that this wouldn't be much of a problem. Otherwise this'd be a _long_ trip through  
the snowy mountains.

And the Lasat hated long trips. 

* * *

The Crebain had finally returned to the caverns of Isengard. Word had reached Saruman the White that Gandalf had set off from Rivendell with a host of individuals. Where were they going? That still remained to be seen. All they knew was that they had  
the ring with them.

The masked figure found this as a curious move on the wizard's part. No doubt, the elves had been alerted of Saruman's betrayal. Which meant they knew Sauron would be attacking on two fronts: From Mordor _and_ Isengard. However, they didn't know the  
whole truth. And the masked figure knew that none of Middle Earth would ever see them coming until it was too late.

He stood behind Saruman deep in Isengard's caverns, watching as the birds flew into a wide open area. The figure watched with complete bemusement. Even after being in league with Mordor for 4 years, he still didn't quite get how useful these Crebain were.  
From what he gathered, they were only good at seeking out life forms, not attacking them. What was the point of controlling birds if they weren't capable of slaughtering their prey?

Unfortunately, they'd have to do for now. The figure watched Saruman's expression as he listened to the crowing of his spies. A slight grin came upon his face and he eventually turned around to face his ally. The figure suspected that they had brought  
good news.

Saruman finally spoke, "The passage South towards the Gap of Rohan is clear."

The figure looked down irritably, "So we were wrong about the Grey wizard's route. Perfect." He began to pace, "Nowwe've got to figure out where he's taken these...travelers. Which removesmore of our time frompreparing for the war!"

Saruman shook his head, "Not necessarily." He looked past him, deep in thought, "I am almost certain that Gandalf was trying to lead them towards Rohan, but nowI suspect that he knows we're watching that path and haschanged his course."

"But we stilldon't know where," the figure replied, not feeling any better about the situation.

Saruman just looked at him and rose a brow. He knew that look. The White wizard had something in mind. Before the figure could even ask the question, however, Saruman answered it for him.

"Do we not?" the old man asked, "The path to Rohan does not have any other routes about it." He then held up a finger, "except for one. And I know Gandalf. If things became complicated, he'd take the next possible road."

The figure tilted his head, "Which is?"

Saruman let out a small chuckle and scoffed, " _Caradhras_."

The figure crossed his arms and frowned behind his mask, "Hmm, bold. Not the most hospitable place to take them through."

The White wizard nodded, the grin not leaving his face, "Which couldgive us an opportunity."

Without another word, he then turned and began to walk out of the cavern. The figure just stood there and watched him leave, slightly a bit confused about what was going on. Ever since he had aligned with this wizard, he had been a mystery. Whether it  
was a good thing or not was yetto be seen. However, despite being there to assist with the army, the figure had orders from Sauron himself to keep a close eye on Saruman in case he attempted to double cross them.

So far, he had seen nothing from the old man that indicated treachery. But he had been trained to learn that looks could be deceiving. Even the less likely beings could be the greatest threat. Apparently Sauron saw the halflings as a threat if he sent  
his deadliest servants to retrieve it. It disgusted the figure to learn that the Ringwraiths had failed. How could a simple hobbit avoid the undead?! He should've retrieved the ring himself. The figure knew he, at least, could provide results for  
the Dark Lord.

And now the ring was being moved...again. Some would call it strange, but he considered it as stupidity. If they had wanted to keep it safe, they should've left it with the Elves. If Sauron had wanted, he could've attacked Rivendell in an instant and  
reclaim his prize, and yet he didn't. The figure agreed that Elves were vulnerable, but they were also smart. An attack upon that city would've been a waste, for no doubt their enemies could somehow get the ring away from them. But Sauron had a bigger  
picture in mind. And the figure agreed waiting for that picture was the right course of action.

In the end, the people of Rivendell would get what was coming to them. They _all_ would. And he could hardly wait. He was thirsty for blood and death. He yearned to see the fear on all their faces as they were cut down by Mordor's overwhelming forces.  
He could see the future. Should they reclaim the ring, their reward would be true power. And that was the greatest gift the figure could ever ask for.

Meanwhile, Saruman finally emerged from the underground and looked about him. The Orcs were busy constructing work towers along the great black wall of Isengard. The ground was now a dull grey color, due to the fires that had finished off the grass and  
trees. The darkness of Mordor was now fully present in this once great land. And Saruman welcomed it with open arms.

His eyes then went to the North, where the Crebain had returned from. He shook his head disappointingly as he thought of his old friend. Had Gandalf learnednothing from him in all the years they had known each other? Apparently not. And it would  
be his undoing.

"So Gandalf, you tried to lead them over Caradhras," Saruman mused, "And if that fails, where then will you go? If the mountain defeats you, will you risk a more dangerous road?" 

* * *

Caradhras had become colder as it was getting later on in the day. Whatever complaints Zeb had about the weather earlier was gone and was instead replaced with complaints about right now. And for once, everybody, except for Gandalf, Legolas, andAragorn,  
were agreeing with the Lasat. For the weather was also affecting them. Almost everysingle member of the Fellowship felt numb. The hobbits couldn't feel their feet. Gimli couldn't feel his face. Boromir couldn't feel his hands and they were slightly  
shaking. Ezra felt like his whole face could become solid ice. Hera's tentacled headpiece had gone completely numb, and it was making her feel slightly lightheaded. Fortunately, Kanan was right beside her to help her along the way.

The Jedi too was freezing, but of course he was trained to handle such weather. Sabine and Rex had put their helmets on, and fortunately for them, their armor had a heating system that kind of kept them warm. Zeb was jealous of that, but there was no  
point stewing about it. He looked foreword to getting out of this bloody land. Right now, he was imagining being by a nice warm fire or even in _the Ghost_ , where he could just lay back and relax as the ship was heated. Oh how he missed being  
at the ship.

Being on the run for so long had surprisingly made Zeb almost forget about _the Ghost_ , which was _still_ all the way back in Hobbiton. He wondered if anybody had spotted the ship. Well, he hoped not at least, especially if it could've been  
one of those black riders. Although, even if those things had found the ship, they were as brainless with technology as anybody else on this planet. And it's not like they could've taken off in _the Ghost_. The ship was damaged for crying out  
loud!

Zeb glanced up at Hera. The Twi'lek had kindly accepted a cloak from Aragorn and had wrapped it around herself, covering her head with the hood. Even though she hadvolunteered to help in the quest, the Lasat wondered if Hera thought about her ship  
often. She had been heartbroken about having to leave it behind twice, and it was hard to tell if she was as bothered with having to go even farther away from it. She hadn't really talked about _the Ghost_ that much, unless somebody else brought  
it up. Zeb had a feeling that she was still bothered, and he felt sorry for her.

How would this end, he wondered? Even if they destroyed the ring, how would they get home? Would they all still be alive? Zeb had this feeling in the pit of his stomach that feared for the lives of his friends, including those of Middle Earth. He had  
seen tons of war as a captain of the Lasat High Honor Guard, and none of it ended well. He could still remember the day when the Empire brought the ion disrupters to Lasan, and used it on his people. He could still hear the screams of his kin as they  
crumpled into nothingness. And he could still feel the constant beating from the stormtroopers as they tried to do the same thing to him. Zeb remembered attacking them in the vicious way possible, and then running. Running far far away from his once  
grand home.

War was the worst thing ever imagined.

All of a sudden, Gandalf stopped in his tracks and rose a hand for the Fellowship to halt. Zeb looked up confusingly. The wizard was scanning the land before him. His eyes seemed to be looking up towards the foot of the mountain before them. Were they  
lost? No. Zeb knew the old man wasn't that clumsy. But Gandalf did look kind of confused and concerned. The whole entire company could see it too. Aragorn paused for a few seconds, and then walked up to the wizard.

"What is it, Gandalf?" he asked.

Gandalf just shook his head in disbelief, "These lands have...changed. This part of Caradhras looks very different than what I hadremembered." He frowned and pointed his staff towards the large rock ahead. "The snow along themountain looks  
steepand unsafe. I cannot determine the safest way to travel through it."

A couple members of the Fellowship, specifically Zeb, Merry, and Pippin, groaned when they heard that. Did this mean they were going to have to stop?! In the middle of this abominable weather?! The Lasat didn't want to stop and the hobbits _especially_ didn't  
want to either. Kanan stroked his chin in thought and walked up alongside Aragorn and Gandalf. He scanned the mountain and noticed that not only was the path unpredictable, but so was whatever landwas beyond it. Inother words, it was blocking  
their view. They couldn't go around it, for it would take too long. So they had no choice but to go through it.

"If I may," Kanan said to the wizard and ranger, "I suggestthat a majority of us remain here forthe time being while we send a couple others to walk ahead and scout around for the safest path."

Aragorn frowned uncertainly, "I'm not sure if that is a wise idea, Kanan. I do not wish for any of us to risk our lives searching that mountain. Not unless it is absolutely necessary."

Kanan pointed back to two members of his crew, "Rex and Zeb are capable of doing it. They are the most well trained captains in the whole galaxy. If anyone can find us a path through the mountain, it'd be them."

Rex nodded, "I agree with Kanan. If it is alright with you, sirs, me and Zeb will be more than willing to scan the area."

Zeb looked at the clone, "We will?"

Rex elbowed him in the rib, to which the Lasat slightly coughed.

"I mean, we will!" Zeb replied, forcing a smile.

Gandalf just stared at the two for a couple seconds, making Zeb feel uncomfortable as usual. That guy always gave him the bloody creeps! The wizard then looked at Kanan, who nodded saying that he could trust them.

Finally, Gandalf looked back at the captains, "Very well. Scout ahead and see if you can find a road somewhere along the mountain. And should you see anything else that's out of the ordinary,report back to us immediately."

Rex nodded understandingly, "Yes sir."

Legolas then steppedforward, "I'll come with you too. Maybe the both of youcould use an extra hand."

Zeb gave the elf an awkward stare. He kinda didn't want him to tag along, but unfortunately Rex had already accepted so they had no choice. With that being said, the Fellowship set down all their belongings and rested while the other three went up the  
hill towards the foot of the mountain.

Rex was scanning every corner of the rock with his helmet, trying to estimate how deep the snow was for them to walk through. So far, he couldn't tell. Zeb had no idea why he had to come along, though. Unless he was just there to be an extra muscle or  
gunman. He looked up at the mountain in dread. One way or another, the Lasat knew they were gonna have to go up there eventually. But he _really_ didn't want to.

Legolas had more far sight unlike the other two. He could see even the tiniest bit of things along the mountain. Zeb forcefully had to listen to the elf tell Rex the places where they most definitely shouldn't go. Quite a show off that guy was. Zeb wished  
he couldhave far sight. That would be most helpful in a fight. Maybe they could surprise attack the Empire, for a change.

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew their way, causing Zeb to shiver.

Legolas sighed, "It's getting colder. That's never a good sign."

Zeb huffed, "Tell me about it."

Rex used his helmet to zoom in on one part of the mountain. He then pointed to it, "Maybe we should climb up around that area. It doesn't appear as packed with snow."

Legolas looked to where the clone was pointing and examined it himself. There was indeed a small narrowpath that led upwards into the mountain. He rose an interested brow for a second and then nodded in agreement.

"Yes," he answered, "I believe you're right."

Rex began to walk towards it, but then the Elf held up a hand for him to stop.

"Maybe I should take the lead," Legolas suggested, "That way, I can determine if the snow is indeed not so steep. You both will have a better chance of surviving this cold environment with my help."

Zeb resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead clenched his fists.

Rex tilted his head, but then replied, "Very well. Lead the way."

Legolas nodded and then began to jog up towards the foot of the mountain. The other two slowly followed behind. Zeb couldn't believe that guy. It was like he didn't have any weight on him! And here they were carrying all their equipment! It didn't help  
for the Lasat to see that the elf was already a good many meters ahead.

"Why dowe have todo all the work?" Zeb suddenly wondered aloud, "He's basically doing it all for us!"

Rex smiled at him, but also gave him a stern look, "Easy, big guy. The Elf's just trying to help. And by the look of things, he knows what he's doing."

Zeb just snorted and muttered, "And using it to show off."

Rex decided not to respond to that remark. He instead glanced up at the sky and frowned. The weather had indeed seemed to have gotten much colder than it was before. Could a storm be coming? Well, they'd probably have that figured out once they climbed  
up the mountain to a higher view of the land.

Zeb's teeth were starting to chatter, and he was now wishing that this bloody world had cloaks that could fit him. No wonder nobody lived here. Someone could become an ice cube here! Zeb knew he needed to keep his mind off the weather. It'd probably help  
just to talk.

The Lasat eyed Rex interestingly, "I saw you back there earlier. You know, when Boromir was holding the ring. You almost looked like you could'veblastedthat man."

He couldn't see the clone's expression, due to the helmet, but he did see him look down. Zeb almost pictured him having a dark look on his face.

Rex then shrugged and quietly said, "I still don't know what to make of that guy. My trust is _very_ limited when it comes to him, especially when the ring is involved."

Zeb nodded, understanding what his friend meant. He then pointed back the way they came, "Sabine seems to have warmed up to him."

"Yeah," Rex commented, "Can't wait for that to happen to me. Because right now, I wouldn't trust my life with the likes of him."

Zeb believed him alright. He knew Rex. That clone had seen a lot of war in his day, and if he didn't trust a person, then that usually meant said person was trouble. Rex had told the Lasat a lot of his stories regarding the Clone Wars. Specifically one  
where he and the 501st had been dispatched to the planet Umbara to remove the planet from Seperatist control. His general, Anakin Skywalker, had been replaced of command by Jedi Master Pong Krell. The general had basically sent Rex's troops into suicide  
attacks. It was only later on that the clones learned of Krell's true identity: As a Jedi gone to the Dark Side, trying to win the planet in the Seperatist's favor and become the new apprentice of Count Dooku.

That was when Rex's trust had really taken its limit. And it only got worse when the Republic eventually transformed into the Galactic Empire and decommissioned all the clones. All that fighting, and for what? To just become worthless individuals that  
die of old age? When Zeb had first met Rex and the couple clones accompanying him, that was what it almost seemed like. Good thing the rebellion wanted to recruit him though.

Zeb had to ask him another question all of a sudden, "If Boromir had tried something...unpleasant, would you have shot him?"

Rex briefly chuckled, "I wouldn't have killed him or anything. After all, I'm a clone. I wouldn't kill someone unless it was absolutely obvious that theindividual was an enemy.I would've stunned him, though."

Zeb let out another huff, "I'm glad you didn't, otherwise _I_ would've had to carry him."

When Rex heard that, he seemed to lighten up and burst out laughing. Zeb ended up grinning and laughing too. The clone patted his comradeon the shoulder and commented that he was unbelievable sometimes.

Finally, after the too finally stopped laughing, theycontinued on and eventually caught up with Legolas. The elf was at the foot of the mountain, and examining the less steep part of the snow. He kept on looking up towards the path off and on, trying  
to determine if it was wise to climb. However, by the time the Lasat and the clone were standing behind him, he apparently made up his mind.

Legolas glanced back at them, "The path looks bearable." He then beckoned them to follow, "Come on."

He then started to ascend up the steep hill. Zeb just looked at him in disbelief and aggravation.

"No rest for the weary," he grumbled.

Rex smirked and stepped back, nodding towards the hill, "After you."

Reluctantly, Zeb began to ascend as well, and was immediately followed by the clone. The mountain was very high from where they were standing. Zeb almost felt dizzy just thinking about how high they'd have to climb later on. How far were they gonna go  
up right now, anyways? Until they saw everything beyond? No doubt. The clouds looked like they were building up overhead, but it also felt like they could actually be part of something bigger. The Lasat had no idea why he thought that.

They had only climbed up a couple meters, and already Zeb's legs were starting to get tired. After all, he had never been up a mountain before! And he could see Legolas once again far up ahead. And it was starting to get very old. Rex was catching his  
breath every step he took. Unfortunately, he was having a harder time compared to the Lasat and Elf. Of course, he was kind of old. Zeb offered him a hand, but he firmly answered that he was fine.

The path appeared to go around the entire side of the mountain. Even though the snow wasn't as steep, it was still up to Zeb's legs. It'dprobably have to do, though. They couldn't leave the Fellowship waiting down there for too long. Zeb just wished  
they wouldn't have to climb all the way back down to get them. It would've been easier to usethe comm toget ahold of Hera and Kanan, but Rex had already tried that and for some reason there was an interference.

Zeb hated interferences.

About an hour and a half had past and the three were already high up in the mountain. Zeb was finally relieved to see Legolas stop and glance down at the land ahead. He and Rex looked down as well and tried not to become light headed. Everything below  
them looked so...small. And it was kind of creepy. Zeb prayed that he wasn't standing near any ice, but just in case, he backed up from the edge a bit. Rex did the same.

Now the Lasat _really_ didn't want to go back down. What if he slipped? Kanan wasn't there to use the Force to save him. If he fell, he was dead. And Zeb didn't want to be dead. He was one of the very few survivors of his kindstill alive, after  
all. He didn't want his people to be down one more Lasat. Zeb even found himself pressinghis hands back against the cold hard stone that made up the mountain.

He wanted to punch courageous of him indeed. Garezeb Orrilous, feared Lasat warrior, rebel fighter, _mountain coward_.

However, Zeb forgot about his fear when he, Rex, and Legolas looked up at the clouds. As the Lasat had feared, there was a source to the clouds building up. Far off in the West, the three could see monsterous black clouds coming over the land. And they  
looked very threatening.

"Looks like a storm's coming," said Rex, scanning the sky, "And it's gonna be a mean one too."

Zeb groaned, "Karabast, that's the last thing we need."

Legolas didn't look too thrilled either. Elves could handle storms, but he feared everybody else in the company couldn't. And that meant they'd need to find shelter before it hit.

"Perhaps we should return to the others," he said, "I have no doubt Gandalf will want to know about this."

Rex nodded, "Agreed. Everyone just watch your step."

Now Zeb's fear returned. Slowly he began to descend back down the mountain along with the others. If his foot even made the slightest contact with something that didn't feel like snow, he immediately moved it away. There was no bloody way he was gonna  
slip off the edge of this rock. But unfortunately, his foot eventually did find ice, and he would've slipped onto his back, but Rex caught him just in time.

From that point on, Zeb kept on grumbling nonsense under his breath, trying to hold back his anger. Going down the mountain didn't take as long as going up, fortunately. All three made it down to the bottom again an hour later. They then sped walked back  
to the Fellowship. Everybody was sitting down on the snow, trying to keep warm, for they too felt the weather getting colder.

Gandalf caught sight of the Lasat, Elf, and clone and stood up, walking over to them. The rest of the Fellowship also rose to their feet, hoping they were finally able to get moving again. Zeb hated to be the bearerof bad news.

"Well?" the wizard asked.

"Eh, gotgood news and bad news, chief," Zeb answered, rubbing his hands together to warm them up. "Good news is we found a path into the mountain. Bad news is there's a huge snowstorm coming this way."

Hera walked up beside Gandalf and crossed her arms, "How far?"

Legolas shrugged, "From what I can tell, it will not be too long before it is upon us." He then looked at the wizard, "Gandalf, I highly doubt many of the members of this company, specifically the halflings, willbe able to survive a storm this powerful."

This was not good news at all. Gandalf had hoped they could get moving, for he feared that the enemy could send other spies to Caradhras, but they couldn't travel far in a violent storm. He had to regretfully accept that. Plus, it was his number one duty  
to keep the Ring Bearer safe. The Fellowship looked at the old man, each having the same expression asking what were they going to do?

Gandalf looked up to the sky and then said, "We'll have to find some sort of shelter to wait out the storm. Hopefully it shall not last long."

Boromir looked to his left then to his right and abruptly spread his arms out, "Whatshelter are you referring to? There's nothing out here!"

Zeb looked around as well and realized that the Gondorian had a point. There was nothing around there as far as the eye could see. All he _could_ see was snow. And he was tired of snow!

Sam wrapped his cloak around himselfmore tightly and shakingly looked at Gandalf, "Maybe we could find a cave or something?"

Aragorn shook his head and sighed, "As wise of an idea as that is, Sam, I think that'll take too long. We'll have to find something closer."

"There is nothing closer, lad!" Gimli huffed, waving his axe around, "Look around! There's nothing but snow and rocks!"

Chopper, who was right next to the dwarf, suddenly grumbled something out loud and it made Gimli jump. When he recovered, he gave the droid a dirty look. All Chopper did was simply let out a mechanical laugh before rolling up alongside Hera.

The Twi'lek frowned, "Come on guys,there's gotto be something out here."

That's when the Fellowship immediately went into deep discussion. None of them had any idea what they were going to do, and the storm was getting closer by the minute. Ezra and Sabine decided to stay out of this one and just watched, already bored out  
of their minds.

However, as Sabine found herself looking along the land about them, her eyes suddenly caught sight of something far out in the distance. It was kind of difficult to see. All she could make out of it was a tiny black dot. Her eyes narrowed and she tried  
to make the screen on her helmet zoom closer to the object. Unfortunately, her helmet couldn't go that far out, but she could see that whatever it was, it was very small.

"Anybody else seeing this?" she asked aloud.

Everybody stopped talking and looked at her.

Aragorn then looked out to where she was looking, but then shook his head confusingly, "See what, Sabine?"

The Mandalorian pointed, "There's a small black object sitting far out by a column of rocks."

Hera walked up beside her to try and get a closer look. The rest of the Fellowship eventually came up as well. Most of them couldn't see anything, and we're kind of believing the Mandalorian was just seeing things. However, Gandalf, Hera, and Legolas  
did in fact see the object Sabine was referring too. It was very faint, and almost blended in with the rocks, except it was a darker color.

Without saying a word, Hera reached into one of the bags and pulled out her binoculars. Unlike Sabine's helmet, those could go out farther.

"What do you see, Hera?" Ezra asked.

"Hold on..." the Twi'lek muttered, trying to make the binoculars focus. However, when they did, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

Kanan rose a brow, "Hera?"

Hera lowered the binoculars from her eyes and shook her head in shock, "I don't believe it."

Zeb and Ezra had become impatient and reached into the bag to pull out binoculars of their own. They then put them to their eyes and zoomed in on the dot. Immediately, like Hera, their eyes widened.

"Karabast," Zeb exclaimed.

Ezra was in complete disbelief, "Is that...what I think it is?"

What was sitting by the rocks was the last thing _the Ghost_ crew ever thought they'd see. Laying on its side, with its hatch slightly open, was an escape pod! 

* * *

**So, I was originally planning to make this a long chapter, but after looking at how much a wrote, I thought it'd be a good idea to split the journey through Caradhras into a couple chapters. Plus, it's been a while since I updated and I'm sure you guys want to read more of the story. lol :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to get the next one up as soon as possible. :) Till next time. :)**


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 26: Caradhras Part 2**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 ****

"Anescape pod?!" Kanan exclaimed, just as bewildered as the rest of the crew.

Zeb nodded, looking through the binoculars again, "Yep, that's an escape pod alright." He then glanced at the others and smirked, "Either that, or it's one _really_ ugly rock."

Ezra was completelyspeechless. He wasn't sure how to react to this. After all their time in Middle Earth, the young Jedi never thought he'd see anything else technology related ever again. And yet, here was a lone escape pod laying in the middle  
of the snow. Where did it come from? How had nobody else seen it before?Ezra figured at least Gandalf of all people would've spotted something like this. The wizard seemed to know everything.

Gimli looked at the crew of _the Ghost_ , then at the pod, and then back at the crew, "Um, I'm very lost right now, lads. What's an escape pod?"

Boromir nodded, looking at the object uncertainly, "I think we'd all like to ask that."

Ezra decided to answer before anybody else could, "An escape pod is what some would call a mini compartment attached to a starship. Basically, if somethings going wrong with the main ship, an escape pod is what you get in to...escape."

The other members of the Fellowship just stared at him with blank expressions. Ezra could tell that he had not made any sense to them. He forgot that these guys didn't know anything about technology.

Zeb rose a brow and smirked, "Great explanation, kid. They definitely understood that."

Ezra would've said something smart back at the Lasat, but Gandalf spoke up before he could.

"I think what Master Bridger's trying to say is that this...thing is from their world," he explained to the Fellowship.

They nodded, although they were still trying to process what Ezra had said earlier. Gimli thought it best not to say it out loud, but the padawan's words sounded like complete jibberish to him. Merry and Pippin, of course, suddenly developed a keen interest  
in the pod. Boromir and Aragorn, though, just eyed it suspiciously. The two men had indeed seen strange things from the crew, but to actually see something from their world in Middle Earth rose some concerns.

Aragorn decided to ask one of said concerns, "This pod thing that you speak of, is it something good or bad?"

Hera shrugged, crossing her arms and eyeing the pod, "That remains to be seen. Both the Empire and the Rebellion have escape pods. However, I can't determine which one this is." She glanced at the Mandalorian standing beside her. "Sabine?"

Sabine was already inspecting the pod long before the Twi'lek captain said something. She had snatched Zeb's binoculars and was studying as much of it as she could.

"Eh, I can't tell either," she replied regretfully, "We're too far away. If we do want to know which pod this is, we might just have to head towards it."

Kanan glanced up at the clouds and shivered as another gust of wind blew against him.

"Perhaps we can seek shelter there," he suggested to the wizard.

Gandalf frowned,but nodded in agreement, "If it is safe, then yes."

Pippin, who was eager to get out of the cold, clapped his hands together and began walking. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go."

Gandalf shook his head disappointingly at the Took. Sometimes, he couldn't figure out that hobbit. Zeb was thinking the exact same thing. Everybody then followed after them, although some of the big folk were slower than the rest. Sabine began to sprint  
towards the pod, as advised by Hera. The Mandalorian knew the Empire, and if there was any chance this was one of their escape pods, she should probably be the first to know about it. Legolas went after her, considering that he was fast and could  
provide cover for the woman in case of trouble.

Ezra kept on glancing nervously back at the storm. The dark clouds had already come above the peek of the mountain. And the wind was starting to become a bit more violent than usual. He was worried though, because if they were gonna take shelter in the  
pod, would they all even fit? If not, Ezra hoped he wouldn't have to be shoved out into the cold. No doubt Zeb would be more than happy to do that.

Ezra also wondered if there were any survivors in the pod. He had seen nobody outside of it when he was looking through the binoculars. Was there even anybody in there? And if there was, were they still alive? No telling how long this pod had been here.  
They could've frozeto death. Hopefully they'd learn the story as to how the pod even got here.

Kanan all of a sudden tapped him on the shoulder, "Ezra, Isay thatwe both should probablykeep our hands close to our lightsabers just in case this turns out to be an ambush."

Ezra nodded, but then asked, "Do you think anybody's inside, Kanan?"

Kanan shook his head, "I don't know. Let's hope they're allies if there are."

With their luck, it'd probably be the opposite. Ezra rested his right hand on his lightsaber. He even grabbed on to the hilt just to make him feel more at ease. He pictured in his mind something suddenly jumping out of the hatch. He hoped that didn't  
happen. He already had enough of a freak show with the black riders.

Fifteen minutes later, the Fellowship finally reached the pod. Sabine and Legolas beat them to it first, though, and the Mandalorianhad drawn out one of her blasters. She snuck up to the hatch and signaled for the elf to grab hold of it. Quietly,  
Legolas did as told and looked back at her. Sabine nodded for him to open it, and once he did, she hopped into the pod and pointed her blaster all around.

Everybody stayed outside, their hands resting against their weapons. The whole compartment had become silent, and they just stared at the dark opening of the pod. Finally, Sabine came back out, putting her blaster back in its holster.

"The pod's empty," she reported, "There's no one here."

The Fellowship relaxed and then came up next to the pod, since of course there was obviously nothing to worry about. Boromir stared at the object with curiosity and traced his hand along the side of it. This seemed strange to him, especially since it  
appeared to be made out of strange metal.

"Extraordinary," he remarked, "Not even Gondor could build something like this. If they could, it'd take more than a thousand years to create."

Legolas glanced back at him when he said that and smirked, "I'd be there to see it if that ever did come to pass. A hundred years is a mere blink in the life of an elf."

Boromir shot the elf an annoyed look, not really that interested to hear how long his peoplecould live. He knew all too well how long they could live. Elrond was living proof of that, considering that he had been alive since the Second Age and the  
Battle of the Last Alliance.

"What shape is the pod in?" Hera asked with interest.

Sabine pointed back inside, "All the systems are shut down. It's been sitting here for a while, that's for sure."

Ezra crossed his arms, "Can it be activated again?"

Sabine looked at the young Jedi, and then down at Chopper. The astromech knew that look and slightly scooted back behind Gimli. The dwarf, who was honestly a bit freaked out by the droid, stepped away from it. Chopper just grumbled something at him and  
then looked down at the ground, letting out a mechanical groan.

"Well," Sabine said, opening the hatch all the way, "there's no harm in trying."

Kanan looked down at the droid, "Get to it, Chop."

Chopper beeped grumpily and rolled up. Hethen activated the rockets on the side of his legs and flew into the pod. Sabine followed him. Still complaining, Chopper then searched for a console so he could plug in. He found one at the far end of the  
pod. Unfortunately, it was covered in ice. Sabine solved that problem, though, and used the bottom part of her sword to break the ice.

Chopper then plugged in with one of his mechanical arms and gave an attempt to activate the pod. Nothing happened at first, but Sabine ordered him to keep trying. So Chopper made every possible attempt his circuits could think of, but none of them seemed  
to work.

Until the last one.

When the astromech made his last attempt, Sabine thought she saw the lights come on for a brief second, but then shut off. She sighed irritably and punched the console with her fist. That did the trick, and instantly the pod was activated.

The Fellowship stepped back at hearing the strange noise. Gimli even rose his axe because he was that startled. However, Kanan made a calm gesture with his hand, saying that everything was alright.

Sabine peeked her head outand leaned against the side of the doorway, "It's not flyable, but the heating system is working just fine."

Zeb chuckled, rubbing his hands together again, "Well that's good news, because I'm bloody freezing!"

Aragorn looked back up at the sky and nodded, "And just in the nick of time too. I fear the storm is upon us."

The clouds were right over them, and the wind was now blowing tons of snow across the land. The storm was definitely here. The Fellowship was eager to seek shelter. And if this pod could provide that, then so be it.

Gimli looked inside and huffed, "We're allnot gonna be ableto fit in there! There's not a whole lot of space!"

Gandalf sighed regretfully, "Then I'm afraid some of us will have to stay out here and bare throughthe storm. I do not wish that for any of us, but we have little choice."

Rex made a passive wave with his hand, "It's no problem. I can stayoutside. My armor has a heating system thatwill keep me warm."

"So does mine," Sabine nodded in agreement, "I'll stay out with Rex. Plus, I can give the pod another full inspection to determine if it's Imperial or not."

Ezra rose a brow and grinned at her, "You sure you can handle the cold?"

The Mandalorian responded by lightly punching him in the shoulder and then jabbing her finger at his chest, "Unlike some of us in this crew, _I_ have guts."

Kanan and Hera glanced at each other. Was it just their imagination, or did Sabineand Ezra seem to be getting along more than usual? It was rather scary, come to think of it. It felt like something changed between the two ever since the shoulder  
fiasco with the Ringwraiths. Sabine seemed almost more protective and caring forEzra than she had been before.

"I will stay out too," Gandalf said, giving the hobbits a look of pity, "The Ring Bearer and his kin deserve most of the warmth. Hopefully the rest of you will be able to make good arrangements."

"Nay," Aragorn abruptly replied with a shake of his head, "If you stay out, Gandalf, then I shall stay out with you too. You are the one leading this Fellowship, and I don't think it fare foryou to suffer the cold alone."

"I agree," added Legolas, stepping beside the ranger, "I can handle the bitter cold if you two can."

Gandalf would've argued, but then he remembered that he was talking to Isildor's heir and the son of Thranduil. If their minds were made up, there was no way of changing it. Gandalf just smiled and chuckled his thanks to the two.

As for the rest of the Fellowship, they began to climb into the pod. The four hobbits went in first, followed by Gimli, Ezra, Boromir, Hera, Kanan, Chopper, and then Zeb sitting at the end. It was slightly a tight fit, but everybody stillhad plenty  
of space to move around. Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin sighed with relief as they felt the heat from the strange compartment blow against them. This was a new experience for the halflings, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

The storm had officially begun. Aragorn and Gandalf covered their faces with their cloaks to sheild them from the snow blowing towards them. Zeb gave Sabine and Rex a thumbs up to indicate they were all in. The two nodded and pushed the hatch of the pod  
shut.

Both the clone and the Mandalorian then looked up at the sky, watching as the clouds got thicker and thicker. It was finally ready to releasemore snow upon the land. Both of them were not looking foreword to it, but they couldn't change the weather  
of the world so they decided to keep themselves distracted and inspect the pod.

Here was hoping thatthe storm wouldn't last for too long. 

* * *

Ezra's eyes snapped open and he sat up. How long had he been asleep?! He looked around the pod, and found almost everybody else, except for Frodo, fast asleep. The hobbit was sitting in the front right cornerof the pod, his cloak over him as he  
tried to keep himself as warm as possible. The heating system had great effect, but Ezra could still feel a couple chills here and there.

Apparently the entire Fellowship had been worn out by the long journey, and sleep finally got to them. Ezra suspected the heat had something to do with that too. Even though they were sitting in a hard uncomfortable escape pod, they welcomed the heat,  
especially after traveling in the cold for so many hours.

Ezra then listened outside, and sadly could still hear the wind blowing ferociously. The storm was still not over, and he wondered how the others were doing. Gandalf had said that they couldn't linger long. Ezra had no idea how long they had been in here.  
He glanced at Frodo and saw the hobbit fidgeting with something beneath his cloak. He would've asked what he was doing, but then he caught a slight glimpse of admiration in the hobbit's eyes.

He was looking at the ring. Ezra could sense it. Nobody else had a look like that unless it involved that thing. He kind wondered if he should tell Frodo not to look at it so much, for it seemed to be having a big effect on him. That made Ezra think of  
Bilbo back in Rivendell. He still couldn't get that horrifying image out of his head of what he had seen in the old hobbit. Even though it lasted for merely a second, Ezra realized that Bilbo hadn'tbeen himself when that happened. His desire  
for the ring was far stronger than Frodo's, but should his nephew be in possession of it for so long, he might as well be as obsessed with it as his uncle.

Then another question crossed Ezra's mind. What if...Frodo didn't want to destroy the ring later on? If he became more obsessed with it, then the odds of him still wanting to destroy the ring were slim. And if that happened, then this whole quest would  
be for nothing, and Sauron would enslave all of Middle Earth. They had done an excellent job of hiding the ring from the Dark Lord, but even Ezra knew that they could not keep it hidden for long. Eventually, if it wasn't destroyed, the enemy would  
recover it and return it to Sauron. Which is why it was crucial that their journey to Mordor was a success.

Ezra decided to distract Frodo, so he spoke up, "How long have we been in here?"

Immediately, Frodo jumped and pulled his hand back, quickly putting the ring back in his pocket. He had a look of panic for a brief moment, but then appeared to relax and lean back against the wall of the pod.

Frodo shook his head, unsure, "I don't know. A good couple hours, maybe? I'm surprised Gandalf hasn't opened up that door and told us to get moving yet."

Ezra grinned and leaned back as well, "Knowing him, he eventually will."

Frodo smiled and nodded. He moved around a little bit to get into a more comfortable position. Ezra did as well. They both suddenly slightly jumped when they heard a loud noise. However, they looked over and realized that it was just Zeb's snoring.

Ezra rolled his eyes andmuttered, "Reminds me of the old days back on _the Ghost_."

Frodo rose a brow, "Did he have a room next to yours?"

"Worse," Ezra answered with a chuckle, "we both are roommates."

Frodo kind of chuckled at that too. He had never really had any roommates back in Bag End, but he could imagine that some of them would not be pleasant.

Ezra then gave the hobbit a concerned look. "How're you holding up?"

Frodo looked confused by what he was asking, "What do you mean?"

Ezra shrugged, "I don't know. You just haven't really said much since we left Rivendell. Are you nervous or something?"

That was a stupid question to ask. Of course the hobbit was nervous! He was going to cast the ring into the fires of Mount Doom! That probably put a whole lot of pressure on the poor hobbit.

Frodo sighed and nodded, "Honestly, I kind of am." He then leaned forward and rubbed his hands together for no particular reason, "It's a lot to take in. Bringing the ring to Mordor. Where Sauron himself awaits. And I'm expected to throw the ring into  
Mount Doom."

Ezra nodded understandingly, "That is a lot to take in." He then pointed around him at all the members of the Fellowship. "But that's what we're here for. To help you every step of the way."

Frodo glanced at Boromir and Gimli, both of whom were sound asleep. He knew the young Jedi meant well, but for some reason it still didn't make him feel any better.

"There's no guarantee that anybody will still be here when that time comes, Ezra," Frodo answered biterly. He looked at Boromir and Gimli again, "You heard what Elrondsaid in Rivendell. Each member of this company has the freedom to leave whenever  
they choose. And part of me suspects that some of them will."

Ezra had a feeling that comment was directed towardthe dwarf and Gondorian. He had kind of been suspecting the same thing. Those two had a will of their own, and if they got ticked enough, they could just leave the company.

Ezra gave Frodo a reassuring smile, "Hey, not _everybody_ will leave, Frodo. I will defiantly not leave, and neither will my friends. We swore an oath to protect you. And we will live by that oath until this quest is finished. That's a promise."

Frodo looked at him and smiled back appreciatively. That meant a lot to him. And he had been very thankful that these people from beyond the starshad been by his side ever since they left the Shire. He had grown very fond of them over the last couple  
months they had been together. And he prayed that they'd all make it out okay once this was over. He'd never forgive himself if one of them fell on his account.

Just then, the hatch to the pod was abruptly opened, and the cold air blew in. Instantly, everybody woke up startled and cold.

"Karabast!" Zeb snapped, folding his arms together and shivering.

Hera had been leaning against Kanan's shoulder the whole entire time they had been sleeping. She squinted her eyes painfully as she woke up. Kanan stretched out his arms, and then immediately pulled them back after feeling the cold. The group looked over  
to see Aragorn standing at the doorway.

Zeb glaredat him as he still shivered, "Thanks a lot."

Aragorn frowned, "Apologies for the sudden interruption. I did not mean to disturb your sleep." He looked over at _the Ghost_ crew, "I just came to inform you that the rest of your crew wanted to see you. It's about the pod."

Hera rose a brow, "What about it?"

Aragorn shook his head, "They would not say."

Kanan yawned before standing up, "Alright, let's go take a look."

Zeb, Ezra, and Chopper groaned when they heard that and grudgingly rose to their feet as well. They had been so comfortable and they were not ready to hop back out into the cold. Ezra reached for his cloak and wrapped it around him, as did Hera. Kanan  
decided not to put his cloak on, and simply hopped out of the pod. The rest of the team followed. Aragorn then shut the hatch back up so the other members of the Fellowship could still stay warm.

Ezra couldn't believe the weather out here! The storm was _still_ not dying down. Everything around them was hard to see. All the Jedi could see was snow blowing around everywhere. His face had already become numb. The snow upon which they were standing  
on evenseemed a bit taller.

Ezra saw Gandalf and Legolas leaning up against one side of the escape pod. The wizard had lowered his head and was covering his face with his hat. What seemed a bit scary was that the old man was motionless. He was just standing there, waiting. Legolas  
was trying his best to see through the storm, in case there was someone (or something) else traveling through Caradhras.

The crew found Sabine and Rex on the other side of the pod, still examining its design. They looked up at them when they finally walked up.

"What's the status?" Kanan asked.

Sabine placed her hands on her hips and shrugged, "Well, I've finally come to the conclusion that it's not an Imperial escape pod. Otherwise we'd see theirsymbol. The only problem is...I can't determine who else it could belong to."

Ezra sighed. Well, at least it wasn't the Empire. That'd create more problems for them if it was.

"Could it belong to the rebels?" Ezra asked.

Sabine looked back at the pod and simply answered, "If it does,it's not Phoenix Squadron. Each rebel cell has different kinds of command ships, and pods along with them. And from the look of this one, it could belong to one of the more _distant_ rebel  
cells that we aren't oftenin contact with."

Hera nodded, "I had a similar guess."

That was strange. Even if what Sabine was saying was true, why would a distant rebel cell be all the way out here? Did they even know how to get here, or did they accidentally crash here like they did? Ezra didn't want to think anything yet, because  
they didn't even know if these were rebels. They could be bounty hunters or pirates. No, Ezra really hoped it wasn't pirates. He didn't have time to deal with Hondo Ohnaka today.

Zeb gazed out at the land and just looked around with a deep frown upon his face.

"Okay, so we found a pod," the Lasat said. He then gave his friends a questionable look, "Anybody know where the crew that came _with_ the pod is?"

"That's another puzzle that I've been trying to solve," Rex replied, sighingbehind his helmet.

That was a puzzle _everybody_ was trying to solve. Ezra had been wondering about that ever since they got to the pod. It was highly doubtful that it had crashed here without any passengers. At least one person, if not many, could've been within the  
pod. But what happened to them? Did they try to seek help somewhere? Ezra thought about that, and became unsure because Gandalf had not mentioned any nearby civilizations besides Rohan. And that place was 40 days away!

Hera looked down at the ground and frowned disappointingly, "Too bad the weather isn't all that great. If it weren't for these storms, we could see tracks as to where they went."

Kanan nodded, "My guess is, either they left willingly to seek help," he then had a look of both fear and worry on his face, "... _or were taken_."

Hera now looked as worried and looked at her Jedi friend, "Do you think it's possible they were captured?"

"I do," Kanan answered, "We saw Crebain spying over these lands. And they came _all_ the way from Isengard. Whose to say there couldn't be other forces from that place patrolling Caradhras? They could've found this pod and taken its survivors captive."

"True," Ezra agreed, but then added, " _if_ these are rebels."

Zeb looked at Kanan and Hera and shrugged, "Kid's got a point. We can't really tell if this is a rebel cell. Could be the exact opposite."

"We don't know anything yet," Hera replied, "All we do know is that whoever was in that pod is gone. And hopefully we can find some answers as we journey onward."

That was the only other choice they had, unfortunately. It almost felt to Ezra like the further they travelled into this world, the more questions there were. Questions that they had no answers to. First there was a tenth black rider that nobody, not  
even the people of Middle Earth, had a clue about. Then there was a masked figure who captured Gandalf in Isengard. And now there was a missing crew of an escape pod. What else would they have questions for, he wondered?

Rex had begun to say something else to the crew, but Ezra didn't pay attention. His eyes gazed out towards the mountain in the distance. Even with the storm blocking most of the land from view, the padawan could still see the huge rockwithout any  
struggle.

As his friends were talking, Ezra suddenly had a funny feeling. When his eyes scanned the mountain's peak, he had a slight feeling of discomfort. As if they were being watched. His eyes narrowed and he cautiously walked to the other side of the escape  
pod, his eyes still focused on the peak. Ezra felt like the Force was trying to tell him something was up there. _Something evil_.

He took out his binoculars and zoomed in on the mountain. At first, all he could see was snow flurries, but then he finally caught sight of the top of the rock. He tried to find anything out of the ordinary, but almost everything there was pure white.

But then he saw it.

It would've been easy to miss, but since Ezra was a Jedi, he could see even the faintest thing. Somebody was crouched down on top of the mountain! Whoever it was, he had made his best effort to blend in with the snow. Was that one of the survivors of  
the escape pod? That's what Ezra had hoped, but then hecould make out spots on the figurethat made up a _black cloak_. And he had seen it before in Middle Earth.

Was that...?

"Ezra?" someone asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Ezra jumped and removed the binoculars from his found it to be Legolas, who didn't seemed bothered by the storm in the slightest.

"Something wrong, my friend?" the elf asked.

"Um...well..." Ezra began to say. He looked through the binoculars again, but was disappointed to find that the figure on top of the mountain had vanished. He looked back at Legolas and shrugged, "Eh, not really. I was just checking out the mountain,  
that's all."

Legolas rose a brow and gave the young Jedione of those suspicious stares. Ezra, however, just gave him a simple grin. Well, he hoped it was a simple grin, at least. He wasn't exactly an expert at lying. Legolas finally nodded and then walked back  
up to Gandalf and Aragorn. Both men looked like they were having a very harshdiscussion. Of course, Ezra wanted to see what it was about. He glanced back at the mountain one last time before he did, though. Had he just been seeing things? Well,  
with his luck, that was probably no illusion. And if he saw it again, he'd be sure to let Kanan know.

Anyways, he walked up to find the wizard and ranger in a bitter argument. One that Ezra had hoped they could avoid for a little while longer. But he knew Gandalf was going to say it at some point.

"We need to wait for a little while longer, Gandalf," Aragorn said tensely, "The storm will lighten up eventually!"

Gandalf shook his head, "It's _not_ lightening up. It's only getting worse! We've lingered here for too long."

The rest of _the Ghost_ crew had apparently heard their bickering because Ezra saw them walk over to the other side of the pod to see what was going on.

Aragorn jabbed his finger at the pod, "Those hobbits won't be able to last a day in this weather! You can't expect them to go through this!"

"Aragorn," Gandalf said sternly, "we have no choice. The longer we stay here, the more likely another problem will arise. And then the hobbits will be put in far greater danger than a simple storm!"

Ezra really didn't want to agree with the old man on this, but he was honestly right. And a majority of the crew agreed with him as well, with the exception of Zeb and Chopper. The two delinquents had no desire to push forward in the bitter storm, but  
should the Fellowship decide to travel again, their choices were limited. And Ezra still had a strange feeling they were being watched, so the sooner they got out of Caradhras, the better.

What was awfully strange was that Gandalf was also right about the storm. It wasn't lightening up at all. The wind had become even more violent than before and there was so much snow blowing into Ezra's face that it was sometimes difficult to breath.

Aragorn soon admitteddefeat, and nodded in agreement with the old man. They had to get moving again. And with any luck, they could get out of Caradhras for good.

Zeb went up to the pod, and abrubtly opened the hatch, waking up everybody inside.

"Nap over!" the Lasat announced with a grin, "The wizard's wanting to leave."

Boromir and Gimli shot him a dark look before standing up and grabbing all of their attire. Gandalf then instructed that the hobbits were to be wrapped up in the warmest cloaks possible. Ezra could feel that the temperature had dropped _really_ low,  
andknew that his little friends would need those cloaks. The only complaint he had was that the rest of them couldn't wear any of the warmer cloaks.

With all their stuff packed up, the Fellowship set off once again, heading towards the roots of the mountain. None of the company welcomed the numbness returning to their faces. And every single second, there was tones of snow blowing straight into their  
mouths. This was a violent blizzard indeed. Ezra pulled down his hood and looked down at the ground, making every single attempt to block snow from blowing into his face. The hobbits did likewise. The poor little guys had already gone pale in the  
face due to the cold.

The Fellowship did not stop to take a breather when they reached the bottom of themountain. Instead, Gandalf immediately began to ascend, followed by the rest. To ensure that the Halflings didn't accidentally slip, a couple members followed close  
behind to help them keep going. Boromir handled Merry and Pippin while Zeb and Aragorn looked after Frodo and Sam.

Ezra noticed that the path they were climbing up on was steep with snow. Rex, however, informed everybody that the path hadn't been like this when he, Zeb, and Legolas had inspected it earlier. If it had gotten this steep, then that meant they had most  
definitely lingered in that escape pod for too long. But they travelled through it nonetheless.

It was unfortunately hard to climb up the path with so much snow. And the company's cloaks kept on dragging, which made them walk ten times slower. Gandalf was soon becoming tired of the storm and furiously moved his way through the snow. He did whatever  
he had to to pick up the pace. He kicked at it and even poked at it with his staff.

Ezra would've been happy to use the Force to clear it up a bit, but the path unfortunately had to be narrow and he didn't want to send someone off the edge by accident. Kanan had similar thoughts. He focused on helping Hera though, considering that the  
Twi'lek was having a hard time with the weather and getting her legs through the snow.

The only one who wasn't having any trouble was Legolas. To _the Ghost_ crew's amazement, the elf wasn't even sinking into the snow like they were! He was actually walking on top of it, as if he had no weight at all!

Zeb glaredat him and muttered through chattering teeth, "N-no...f-f-fair!"

Ezra agreed with him, and shot the Elf a not so friendly glare as well. These elves were remarkable creatures, but this one in particular seemed like he enjoyed showing off. Ezra wasn't that greatful for it. And neither was Gimli. The dwarf had a look  
in his eye that almost made it seem like he'd pull the elf right into the snow with him.

A couple hours passed, and the Fellowship was walking along the side of the mountain. The snow had now risen up to their wastes and kept on coming. The elf, of course, was at the head of the group, with Gandalf following not that far  
glanced back at them and watched for a couple seconds as they moved through the snow. But then his head quickly turned towards the direction the snow was blowing. He tilted his head down, as if listening for something.

Ezra really didn't care if he was listening to something. All he cared about right now was how much he was suffering in this weather! This sounded a bit impossible, but it felt like the storm was getting _even_ worse. It shouldn't have been lasting  
this long! And everybody in the company knew it. What was going on?

"Kanan!" Ezra called to his master, who was standing next to him along with Hera, "Somethings not right. You can feel that, can't you?"

Kanan nodded and answered through gritted teeth, "Yeah. I agree, kid. I've seen many snow storms in my life, but this is ridiculous!"

Hera lifted her head up and gazed at the storm, an irritated look on her face, "There's got to be some sort of explanation for all this. None of this could be nature's doing."

Ezra was about to say something else, but then paused. Was it just him, or did he hear someone shouting in the distance? He just stood there and listened carefully. It seemed to be coming from really far away. The voice sounded deep and commanding.

Legolas all of a sudden yelled to everyone, "There is a foul voice on the air!"

Nope, Ezra wasn't imagining anything. The voice was obviously real. And the Fellowship could now hear it too. A couple of the crew became confused as to what this meant, but Gandalf and Aragorn's eyes had gone wide. They recognized whose voice it was.  
And it wasn't a friendly.

" _It's Saruman!_ " Gandalf shouted.

Saruman?! He was controlling the weather?! Ezra would've asked how, but then he remembered how strong magic seemed to be in this world. He had no time to react any further, when suddenly a great crumbling sound came from overhead. Everybody looked up  
to see agigantic chunk of stone falling down straight towards them. They jumped back in time to avoid it. The stone hit the edge and then fell down into the abyss below.

Ezra then thought he could hear thunder and looked at the sky to see lightningshooting out from the clouds. That was something that you wouldn't normally see in a snowstorm. It wasn't hard for any of the crew of _the Ghost_ to realize  
that this was a spell of some kind.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn exclaimed in horror. He looked at the wizard and yelled, "Gandalf, we must turn back!"

But Gandalf shook his head, "No!"

Ezra looked at him in disbelief. Was he mad?! Saruman was trying to bring the mountain down on their heads and he was still wanting to press on?! They'd all be dead if they continued on this path! Gandalf all of a sudden halted and looked towards where  
the storm was coming. Ezra wondered what he was going to do.

The whole Fellowship could now hear Saruman's voice more clearly now. Wherever the White wizard was, he was chanting a spell that was making the blizzard worse and worse by the minute. However, Gandalf slightly lifted up his staff and began chanting a  
counter spell of his own. Ezra hoped that it would do some good.

So they all stood there in the middle of the storm for who knows how many minutes. The company, specifically the hobbits and _the Ghost_ crew were expecting the storm to lighten up. Unfortunately, it seemed like Saruman had the upper hand. Ezra figured  
that guy had to have been chanting ever since they had taken cover in that escape pod. So his spell was definitely stronger than Gandalf's counter spell.

Suddenly, Ezra's theory was proven correct as a bolt of lightning struck a side of the mountain. That resulted in a gigantic pack of snow tumbling down, about to land on top of the company! Gandalf and Legolas backed up against the mountain. Everybody  
else attempted to do the same, except for Ezra. The young Jedi rose his hands to try and use the Force to prevent the snow from touching them.

Kanan looked at his apprentice became horrified. There was too much snow! Ezra couldn't handle that! However, before he could do anything, Sabine did it for him. The Mandalorian seized Ezra by the arm and yanked him back just in time. Before anybody knew  
what was happening, the avalanche of snow slammed down on top of them.

Ezra was instantly surrounded by darkness, and he could feel snow pressed againsthis entirebody. He just sat there, frozen. Every part of his body was numb and he felt like he could die right then and there. The cloak around him was not much  
help anymore. He knew he should try and climb out of the snow, but for some reason he didn't want to. Was there any point? He had had it with the bitter cold, and felt like this was where he met his end.

But then he heard movement. Ezra then saw someone push away a ton of snow off of his head. He looked up to find that it was Zeb. The Lasat's entire body was white. He then reached a huge hand down and pulled Ezra out of the snow, along with Sabine. Both  
the Jedi and the Mandalorian burst out coughing, as they found some of the snow had been accidentally shoved down their throats. It was _not_ a good feeling.

Zeb was shivering to death as he muttered, "I...hate...snow."

Ezra was shivering badly too, and found his whole body to be wet. But then he stopped and looked down. He realized that he had been holding Sabine's hand the whole time! She immediately noticed it too and they instantly let go of each other and pretended  
to look elsewhere.

The rest of the Fellowship emerged from the pile of snow as well. Gandalf, Legolas, and Aragorn were the first, followed by Frodo, Kanan, Hera, Sam, Merry, Pippin, and Boromir. They all then looked around and realized that Chopper and Gimli were still  
unaccounted for. But before they could become worried, they saw the astromech's domed head emerge from the snow. Hera and Kanan sighed with relief.

Chopper let out a couple of irritatedgrumbles. But they then turned into angry grumbles as everybody heard something from beneath the snow slamming against the droid's metal body. A hand emerged from the snow and continued to hit Chopper. The astromech  
immediately pushed himself back, and out came Gimli. The droid had somehow been sitting on top of him when the avalanche hit them.

The dwarf's beard was completely covered with snow, and he looked angry about it. Well, he was mostly angry about having a heavy metal object sitting on top of him.

Gimli glared at Chopper and mumbled, "Stupid tincan!"

Ezra would've thought this funny, if he was not suffering at the moment.

When everybody looked to be okay, Boromir yelled up to Gandalf, "We must get off the mountain! Make for the Gap of Rohan, and take the West road to my city!"

Aragorn looked at the Gondorian and shook his head, "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"

Hera immediately turned to look back at the two and surprisingly found herself agreeing with Boromir, "But what choice do we have?! We _can't_ keep on going through this abomination! We'll all die if this keeps up! And I cannot stand another minute  
of this!"

Ezra was a bit surprised by the Twi'lek's outburst. She never had a short temper like that. Apparently the cold was getting it her. But honestly, he was wanting to leave too. Pretty much everybody in the company was.

Well, except for Zeb.

The Lasat looked at all of them furiously, "Are we seriously thinking about turning back?! After all the suffering we've been through?!"

"Like the lady said, we can't go through this any longer!" Boromir snapped at him, "We've got to find some other path!"

Sabine tilted her head, "But where to, exactly? I thought these were the only paths we could take."

Gimli's headinstantly perked up. A small smile came to his gruff face and he shook his head.

"Nay, lass," he replied with a hint of eagerness, "There is _one_ other path." He then looked at Gandalf. "If we cannot pass of the mountain, let us go under it! Let us go through the Mines of Moria!"

Gandalf's expression became dark and he did not reply. The Fellowship looked over at him and waited to see what he had to say. Ezra thought he could see a slight hint of fear in the wizard's eyes. He wondered why he seemed so bothered by this Moria.

Gandalf had no heart to tell any of them this, but there was a certain reason why he didn't want to go there. He had heard stories about it. Stories that were nowhere by any means pleasant.

" _Moria,_ " he could hearSaruman's voice say in his head, " _You fear to go into those mines. The dwarves dug too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad Dum. Shadow and Flame._ "

Finally, Gandalf spoke to the company, "Let the Ring Bearer decide."

Everybody then looked over at Frodo. The hobbit didn't know what to say and just glanced at them nervously. Ezra just hoped he'd decide something soon, and that it'd be that they get off this mountain!

Merry and Pippin's faces had turned chalk white, and Frodo knew that his kin were having a hard time with the weather. Boromir held both of them close to him.

"We cannot stay here!" he said to the wizard, "This will be the death of the hobbits!"

This would be the death of them all, in Ezra's mind.

Gandalf looked at his hobbit friend, "Frodo?"

Seeing that everybody was suffering, Frodo knew what his decision would be. Even though it meant that Gandalf might not like it.

"We will go through the Mines," he replied.

Gandalf sighed and admitted defeat, "So be it."

Caradhras had defeated them. 

* * *

Saruman was reading through a book within his chambers. Well, more like scanning through it. It was basically a book that focused on some of the key places in Middle Earth. His hand flipped from page to page until he finally stopped, gazing upon a picture  
that intrigued him.

The picture was that of a mysterious, yet terrifying looking beast. It was tall and had two horns that hung along the sides of its face. Its body was surrounded by fire and it held in both its hands a flaming sword and whip. Saruman smirked at the image  
before finally closing the book. With Caradhras now off his list of worries, he knew there was only one other place that Gandalf could lead his company through.

The masked figure, who was standing not that far from him, had apparently figured it out too.

"Your wizard friend is a stubborn one," he bluntly remarked.

Saruman nodded and sneered, "Gandalf never was one who followed the rules. He would much rather have a will of his own instead of being bound to my authority."

He could recall the Grey wizard being assuch 60 years ago, when the dwarf, Thorin Oakenshield, had set off on a quest to reclaim the treasure of Erebor. Saruman had advised against it, but Gandalf had made sure they continued their quest nonetheless.  
A lot of things had been discovered during that time, including the revelation that Sauron hadbeen revealed to be a mysterious sorcerer who had been going around, calling himself the Necromancer. This, of course, led to Saruman investigating  
the Dark Lord. But now, here he was today, aligned with him.

Saruman then stood up and began to pace, "This time, Gandalf's stubbornness will lead to his demise. I know too well of his fears of Moria."

The figure scoffed and shook his head, "You really think he won't make it out of there alive?"

Saruman smiled, "I'm counting on it."

The figure then crossed his arms and demanded angrily, "What if he _does_ make it out, huh?! What then?!"

Saruman glared at him and snapped back, "Then we will handle it!"

The figure then stepped back and let out a mocking laugh, "Yeah, well I find your expertise to fix problems rather unreliable these days."

The White wizard rose a brow and his jaw tightened, "And just _what_ do you mean by that?!"

"I mean that while you're wasting time trying to track down some old fool, you're forgetting the bigger picture the Dark Lord has in store for us!" the figure replied.

Saruman spread out his arms confusedly, "Are you saying that we should not be concerned about where Gandalf is taking the ring?!"

"Of course not!" growled the figure. He then looked down at the ground fora second before then saying, "But I am thinking that your attempts to delay the old man are pointless. Perhaps it is time that _I_ handle this."

He then turned to leave the chamber. However, Saruman furiously stormed after him.

"No!" he said, "You are under orders to stay here and oversee the army! Sauron will not be pleased if you left without his authority!"

The figure stopped for a brief moment and glanced back at the wizard, "You misunderstand, I wasn't referring to _me_ handling this personally. Not yet, anyways."

With that, he left the room, leaving Saruman wondering what exactly he had in mind. 


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 27: The Walls of Moria**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

It was a relief tofinally be out of the cold. The Fellowship could now officially say goodbye to the Pass of Caradhras. And good riddance. Ezra felt like they had wasted a lot of time being up in those mountains. And hopefully this Moria wouldn't  
be another waste of time. So far, the White wizard, Saruman, had known Gandalf's every move. Did he probably know about this one? No doubt. Was there anything he could do about it? That remained to be seen.

But Gandalf didn't look toothrilled to be traveling to these mines. What was he afraid of? What did he know that none of the others didn't? One thing was forsure, it wasn't making some of _the Ghost_ crew feel any better about coming  
on this journey. Gimli, however, was more than excited to go to Moria. He kept on babbling on and on about how great of a Dwarf Kingdom it was, but nobody really paid attention to him. Well, Zeb and Ezra didn't at least.

The further they travelled, the more the Fellowship noticed the grass wasslowly disappearing. Replacing it was simply a ton of rocks. They were basically traveling on gravel now. And it was hurting a lot of their feet. The hobbits looked the most  
uncomfortable, especially since they didn't have any shoes. Zeb was struggling too, but he would much rather travel through here instead of that bloody Caradhras. And his friends agreed with him.

It was funny how the land could switch from being freezing cold to completely dry. As hours ticked by, Ezra had completely lost sight of all the grass. He just saw stone. Big ones, small ones, medium sized ones, weird shaped ones. It was all stone. And  
he really didn't get why dwarves were so fond of stone. Gimli admired it, and kept on muttering, "We're getting closer." He said it over and over almost every 10 minutes.

The Fellowship soon caught sight of a huge stone arch up ahead, which Gandalf seemed to recognize quite well. He stopped for a second though, and took a deep breath.

He then looked back and smiled, "Frodo, come and help an old man."

Frodo was more than happy to do so, and as he helped his friend out, the two started talking quietly to each other. That, of course, got Ezra curious, but he decided to stay out of it. Everybody deservedtheir space. The only bad part about not being  
up there with them was that he and the rest of the crew would have to deal with Gimli in the back.

"We're getting closer," the dwarf mumbled once again, eagerly.

Zeb quietly hissedto the others, "Oh we're getting closer alright. My fist is getting closer to punching him square in the face!"

Hera rolled her eyes and whispered back, "Do you always have to hit something, Zeb?"

The Lasat thought about that for a moment, and then chuckled, "I guess so. It's just who I am."

"Yeah," Hera replied with a frown, "well how about you save it for the enemy, okay?"

Zeb looked disappointed by that, but just nodded, "Sure thing, Hera."

Sabine let out an irritatedchuckle and popped her knuckles, "I'll tell you one guy I want to punch square in the face. That _Saruman_ guy! He's been nothing but trouble for us eversince we left Rivendell." She placed her hands on  
her hips and sighed, "And here I thought it was going to be easier since the black riders were gone."

Ezra smirked at her and shrugged, "Hey, it's us. _Nothing_ is ever easy when we're around."

Sabine nodded in agreement, "You can say that again."

Zeb crossed his arms and let out a low growl, "You are right, though. I'm beginning to dislike this Saruman guy more and more. And he was originallysupposed to be on our side!"

Ezra looked down, "I don't get how he could work with someone soevil as Sauron. Doesn't he realize that he's working with a guy that wants to burn this world to the ground?"

"I think he does," Kanan said with a sigh, "but he probably doesn't care anymore."

Ezra looked at his master confusedly, "Why not?! He was called Saruman the Wise for a was supposed to care for the people of Middle Earth and protect them from such evil! Why turn his back on them?"

Kanan closed his eyes, falling silent for a couple seconds. He knew the answer tothat. For he had seen it within the very heart of the Republic, before the Empire took over.

"Power, Ezra," he said bitterly, "The promise of power has a way of warping one's mind. Even the kindest people could turn into the greatest enemies. And power is usually the source of it all."

Ezra nodded and replied quietly, "Like the Sith."

Kanan gave him a small nod and shrugged, "They were once as good as us. I'm sure even the Emperor himself was not such a bad guy. But when they gained power and used it for the wrong purposes, they became vulnerable to the Dark Side of the Force, and  
thus turned into theenemies that all Jedi swore to destroy. And Saruman has fallen into the same trap with Sauron."

That was a lot to take in. Ezra had never really thought about that before. He had been more focused on what the Sith and Empire were like today. He never thought about what they might've been like before all this. He still didn't get how a wizard as  
great as Saruman could've become so susceptible to the darkness. If he could so easily follow Sauron's will, who else could do the same?

Ezra wondered if Gandalf had been tempted by the darkness while imprisoned at Isengard. Did the Dark Lord's servants try to manipulate him like they did with Saruman? Gandalf never really spoke much about his time there, other than saying that "it utterly  
disgusted" him. Ezra had a feeling that the Grey wizard was far stronger than the head of his order. He even wondered why Gandalf didn't lead the Wizards instead of Saruman.

"Kanan," Ezra then asked, "do you think there is any chance of redemption for Saruman?"

Kanan glanced at his apprentice and gave him one of his uncertain looks, "I really doubt it, kid. Like the Sith, the darkness can goinside whoever decides toembraceit. And once you let the darkness in, it never comes out."

Rex slightly turned his head at that, but didn't say anything. He was wearing his helmet, but behind it, he had a frown on his face. Kanan spoke the truth. Rexhad seen a whole lot of people embrace darkness throughoutthe war, especially his  
clone brethren. He remembered the very first year of the war, when the Republic has been dispatched to the planet, Christophsis, to free it from the droid occupation. They had discovered a traitor in their midst. Said traitor was revealed to be none  
other than clone sergeant Slick. He was paid off by Count Dooku's assassin, Asajj Ventress, to reveal all Republic outposts on the planetto the Confederacy, under promise of something more important than money: Freedom.

Even though Slick's actions had been wrong that day, Rex could still understand what he was trying to prove. He wasn't doing it just for himself; he was also doing it for all clones. Slick had believed the Jedi to keep his brothers enslaved, but of course  
Rex never believedthat. He did agree, however, that the clone army had been enslaved. By the _Emperor_. Oh he knew Palpatine's true identity, and it had a big effect on him. To discover that a Sith Lord had actually ordered the production  
of clones only to turn them against the Jedi was overwhelming.

He had fortunately removed his control chip before Order 66 was given. And it was all thanks to Fives, one of his close clone friends during the war. Fives had uncovered the plot and who the Chancellor was long before the war had ended. Nobody believed  
him, and instead thought him as crazy. Rex had believed him, though, because not long after, he had discovered the inhibitor chip in his head. He had been skeptical on what would become of him after the chip was removed, but he grew to become thankful  
that he did.

It was quite obvious that darkness had been with Rex all his life. The clones were created out of darkness, and it made them kill those that they once called friends. Rex had to make several toughdecisions, some that were very dark. And that still  
lingered in his heart to this day. Kanan was right. Once the darkness comes in, it never comes out.

Even Ezra knew what Kanan was driving at. Thinking about darkness reminded him of his very first year being with the crew of _the Ghost_. It was during that time when the Grand Inquisitor had still been alive, and had committed himself to hunting  
the two Jedi. He had tracked them to an old abandoned clone base, where Kanan and Ezra had been able to use the Force to connect to the native creatures to fight against the Imperials.

Ezra remembered that while they fought the Inquisitor, he had taunted the young Jedi. That was when he had become vulnerable to the Dark Side and summoned a huge creature to attack the Inquisitor. That was the first bit of darkness to ever enter Ezra.  
And it had gotten evenworse since Malachor. But the only difference between him and Saruman was that he had embraced a bit of the darkness at a young age. The White wizard, on the other hand, had been a symbol of hope for many years and was  
highly respected by all Middle Earth, especially Gandalf. He should've been wise enough to resist the darkness.

But the bottom line was that Saruman was evil now. And he would stop at nothing to help Sauron wipe out everything. Ezra wouldn't let that happen. None of the rebels would let that happen. They would survive no matter what Isengard and Mordor threw at  
them. Sauron and Saruman had an army, true. But there was one thing that they would never expect to fight against: The Force. Ezra just hoped it would be with them throughout their quest.

They needed it more than ever.

Gimli had all of a sudden stopped in his tracksand his jaw dropped in awe. He pointed his finger straight ahead, "The walls of Moria!"

The Fellowship looked up and found themselves gazing at a large rock. In front of saidrock was a little lake. Honestly, Ezra thought it had a sickly color to it. Did anybody ever use it, he wondered? He doubted anybody would. It had a dark and uneasy  
feel to it. Gandalf had said that Moria went under the Misty Mountains, and judging by the size of this rock, they could tell it was part of the mountain.

Zeb didn't look too impressed and just rose a brow, "It's just a huge rock."

Gimli huffed at the Lasat, "You say it's only a rock now, but the real beauty is what's beyond those walls."

Zeb tilted his head and gave him a look of sarcasm, "More rocks?"

Ezra and Sabine smirked, especially when they saw Gimli shoot the Lasat a dirty look. Apparently he didn't find that remark too amusing. Ezra doubted dwarves were reallyfond of sarcasm. He could already foreseehim giving Zeb what for should  
he make another sarcastic comment.

The Fellowship wasn't surprised to find a narrow path going around the lake and along the side of the mountain. There was enough space for at least two or three people to walk side by side, but a lot of the company didn't really want to be too close to  
the water. However, there was something else that made Ezra said that these were the walls of Moria, but where was the door that went _into_ Moria?

Ezra looked along the 'walls' and saw that it seemed to go on for a good couple miles. Perhaps the door was there. Unfortunately, that meant more walking, and the Fellowship was already in need of another rest. Ezra had to admit that the journey had been  
a roughstart. Sauron and Saruman weren't going to make this easy. Neither was the ring. Ezra had found himself thinking about that a lot these days, probably more than he should've been. He couldn't help it, though. His heart had developed a  
desire for it. He didn't want to admit that to anyone, for he wanted to show that he was strong, but that was the truth. The ring had a hold over Ezra, just like it did with Bilbo and Frodo. He just prayed that that desire didn't become stronger.

Otherwise, he probably wouldn't recognize himself ever again. Unlike those two, he was a Jedi. And if the ring changed people, what would happen to him if he couldn't hold back his desire? What would he become? Would he fall to the Dark Side, just like  
Maul and all the Sith weilders he had met before? Ezra couldn't picture himself becoming a Sith, but things always changed in the galaxy. Kanan knew as much, since he witnessed the once great Republic become the Empire.

However, if Ezra didn't change from the ring, what about his friends? What could happen to them? They had to be feeling the ring's effects too. Could they become unrecognizable? Ezra had a feeling they could, but he didn't want to think that. He didn't  
want to have a small fear that he might have to protect Frodo from them. But surely they could resist the ring. Kanan was one of the wisest Jedi he had ever met. Hera was a tough and fierce leader for the rebellion. Rex, Sabine, and even Zeb had a  
warrior spirit within them. If they could resist the lies of the Empire, then they could resist this little ring.

Gandalf began to lead the Fellowship along the walls of Moria. Everybody watched their step, and kept on glancing at the water off and on. Frodo accidentally stepped in it, but immediately pulled his foot back in disgust. Ezra was the only one brave enough  
to go closer to the water. He peered down into it. Normally, he could see the slightest bit of land below the water, but this time he couldn't see anything. All he could see was his reflection, and the rest was just pitch black.

Then, something rather curious happened. Gimli just walked up to the side of the rock, pressed his ear up against it, and began to tap it with his axe. He did so every few steps he took.

Zeb gave him a weird look, "What're you doing?"

"Listening," Gimli replied, tapping his axe again.

The Lasat glanced at the rest of the crew, and gave them a questionable look. They just shrugged, not really knowing what the dwarf was meaning.

"Listening for what?" Ezra asked.

Gimli hit his axe against the rock once again, "For an echo, of course. I'm trying to find the door that leads into Moria."

Sabine bit her lip and looked at Hera, trying not to laugh. Hera just rose a brow and didn't comment. Ezra and Zeb, though, started to think that the dwarf had gone mad.

Ezra then tapped Gimli on the shoulder, trying his best not to say the wrong thing, "Um, shouldn't we be able to see the door? It'dprobably befurther down the path, wouldn't it?"

Gimli chuckled at Ezra'squestion, giving him a rough pat on the shoulder, "If we could see the door, then Orcs could attack Moria whenever they pleased. No, we dwarves are smarter than that. The best way to keep a great kingdom safe is by hiding  
its entrance." Again, he hit the rock with his axe. "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed."

Gandalf, who was now examining the walls, nodded in agreement, "Yes, Gimli. Their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" both Legolas and Zeb muttered at the same time.

They then looked at each other after that and grinnedbefore walking on. Gimli glaredup at them and then grumbled to himself as he followed. It seemed to Ezra that the dwarf could be humble one moment and then grumpy the next.

The young apprentice found it interesting, though, that the door to Moria was invisible. He couldn't recall encountering anything on that scale. Yes, there was the secret Jedi Temple beneath the rocks on Lothal, but that hardly counted. The doors therehad  
not been invisible, just hidden.

Another thought instantly crossed Ezra's mind. If the door was invisible, and their own masters couldn't find them, how in the world could _they_ find them?! Gimli's efforts seemed a little pointless, and Ezra doubted even old Gandalf's eyes were  
that good enough to find something invisible. It was like trying to find Frodo if he slipped the ring on his finger.

But then Ezra had an idea. Maybe they needed something more than just eyes to find the door. Could the Force be helpful with something like this? That was a stupid thing to wonder. Of course it could! At least, Ezra thought it could.

There was only one way to find out. And Kanan looked like he was thinking the same thing.

Ezra looked over at him, "Kanan, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

The elder Jedi nodded and put a hand on his apprentice's shoulder, "Let's give it a try, kid."

They both went ahead of Gandalf and the Fellowship and stood a couple feet away. Then, they faced the wall and closed their eyes. Slowly and gently, Ezra and Kanan placed their hands against the stone. They then reached out with the Force and tried to  
sense something out of the ordinary. Like if there was an open area from behind the stone.

Ezra triedto stay focused, but he didn't like the feeling of cold rigid stone. There were even a couple spotsthat felt sharp and was pressed right against his palm. However, Ezra remembered his training and didn't flinch. He just kept his  
hand there and waited. So far, he couldn't sense anything, which most likely meant they'd have to move down. He could already sense Kanan begin to slightly move to his left without opening his eyes or removing his hand.

Ezra followed suite, but was a bit more clumsy than his former master. He expected him to say something like, "stay focused", but it never came. Thankfully, it seemed like Kanan wasn't in the mood to scold his apprentice. The Fellowship slowly followed  
them. Boromir, Gimli, and Legolas stilldidn't really get this whole 'Force' thing. Gandalf and Aragorn were expressionless, though, since they and the hobbits had seen a thing or two with the Jedi.

Ezra still didn't sense anything, and wondered if there was any point in trying. Maybe magic here was stronger than the power of the Force. He opened his eyes and glanced at Kanan, who's eyes were still closed. He could still see through the Force that  
Ezra had stopped trying.

"Keep going," Kanan muttered to Ezra, "If Ipossibly miss something, I'm sure you'd most likely find it."

Ezra sighed and closed his eyes again. All he could feel was cold stone. The Force wasn't telling him anything. Once again, his master moved down, and he did the same. Ezra's fingers traced against every sharp and rigid part of the stone wall, which surprisingly  
wasn't so bad.

But then he suddenly halted. He felt something both through the Force and along the stone. Whatever his hand was on, it felt off compared to the rest of the stone. There was a little dip within the rock, and when Ezra traded it with his fingers itwent  
into a curve. He could also sense and opening beyond this part of the stone. There was something behind it alright.

Ezra opened his eyes and exclaimed, "It's here! I think this is the door!"

Gandalf came up and looked to where the young Jedi's hand was resting. Ezra looked as well and saw that there seemed to be a design all over this little part of the wall.

The wizard smiled at him pleasingly, "Well done, Master Bridger. Well done, indeed."

Kanan smiled at his apprentice too andpatted him on the shoulder. Not even suchstrong of a magic could remain hidden fromthe Force. The rest of the Fellowship came up as well and watched as Gandalf examined the strange design. Most of  
it was a series of curves that went all over the place.

Gandalf then muttered to himself, "Ah, _Ithildin_."

Zeb rose a confused brow, "It's sealed in?"

Gandalf glanced at the Lasat and frowned at him disappointedly, " _Ithildin_ , Captain Orrilious. It's the script that covers the mirrors only in starlight," he then looked up at the sky, "and moonlight."

The rest of the company glanced up at the sky as well. They could see the moon slightly begin to peek out from behind the clouds. Ezra hasn't really paid attention to the sky too much on their journey, but he had to admit that the night sky looked rather  
beautiful.

The hobbit then suddenly let out a gasp in awe. The others turned around and their eyes immediately widened. The designs were beginning to glow! A couple people stood back and watched in bewilderment. The outside line formed an arch and then the designs  
filled in the middle. Ezra could also see some sort of Elvish words glow towards thetop of the arch. Well, he thought it was Elvish. They had indeed found the door.

Sabine let out a whistle, and she even traced her hand along the line, "Wow. Now if this isn't a fascinating work of art, I don't know what is."

"Indeed," Hera mumbled, as awestruck as the rest of her crew.

Gimli smiled proudly when he heard the two women say that, and felt like respect for his folk had been restored. At least they knew how to respect Dwarven Art, unlike that Elf and Lasat!

Gandalf then tracedhis staff along the Elvish words as he translated, "It reads: _The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak, Friend, and Enter._ "

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked, not getting it.

Gandalf looked at all of them and just smiled and shrugged, "Well it's quite simple! If you are a friend, you speak the password, and the doors will open."

Merry grinned and looked over at Pippin, giving him a confident nod. Pippin returned said smile and nod. They were both certain that Gandalf had this under control. Ezra felt the same way. The old man always seemed to know what he was doing.

Gandalf pressed his staff against the center of the door and said aloud, " _Annon edhellen, hedro hiammen!"_

Everyone looked at the door eagerly, waiting to see if it would open. But to their confusion, nothing happened. They then looked back at Gandalf, who looked just as confused.

However, the wizard rose his hands in the air and said another password, " _Fennas logothlim, lasto beth ammen!"_

TheFellowship looked at the door again. Surely something would happen this time. But once again, it stayed the same. Gandalf abrubtly dropped his arms in utter disbelief. A couple members of the crew glanced at each other with unsure expressions. Ezra was beginning to take back what he said about the wizard always knowing what he was doing.

"Nothing's happening," Pippin commented.

Zeb rolled his eyes, "Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Gandalf now looked irritated and mumbled to himself. He even tried pushing at the door, but of course it did little good. Kanan and Hera looked at each other, wondering if they had another problem on their hands. If they couldn't get into Moria, then what would they do? They couldn'treturn to Caradhras or the regular path to the Gap of Rohan, because Saruman would be waiting for them with some sort of trap.

The wizard looked completely baffled that none of his passwords were working. Had he been away from Moria for so long, Ezra wondered? Apparently so. Otherwise, they'd be inside the mines right now. He just hoped they could get into Moria, mainly because this was the only other road they could take. Gimli even looked a bit agitated because he was wanting to enter that place more and anyone else.

Gandalf pulled back from the door and shook his head, "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of Elves, Men, and Orcs."

Pippin then stupidly asked, "What're you gonna do then?"

"Knock your head against these doors, PeregrinTook!" Gandalf angrily snapped at the hobbit, "And if that does not shatter them, and I'm allowed a littlepeace from foolish questions, I will try and find the open words!"

Pippin stepped back a little ways from the wizard, now a little bit scared of him. Aragorn just smiled and kindly patted the hobbit on the shoulder.

Zeb then muttered to _the Ghost_ crew, "I might just knock his head against the doors, anyway."

Ezra just elbowed him and slightly smirked.

The Fellowship had a feeling that this was going to take a while, so they set down all their belongings and sat themselves down on the ground. Merry and Pippin stayed standing, though, and just looked around for anything along the lake. Gimli had taken out a pipe and began to smoke it as he comfortably leaned back against the stone wall. Boromir didn't look so relaxed. He was rather anxious to get moving and he didn't like the look of the black water. The crew of _the Ghost_ , on the other hand, were kind of happy to take a little rest, even though they were a bit impatient to get into Moria. Frodo say the closest to Gandalf, who was standing in front of the door chanting every spell he could think of.

It was definitely gonna be a while. Ezra could feel it, so he decided to lean back and get some shuteye. He needed another good rest. The last time he had one was in the escape pod. Hera was checking out Chopper's power chip, seeing whether or not it was almost out again. She doubted it though, because they had just left Rivendell not too long ago, after all. Kanan just sat himself on the ground and bowed his head. It was quite obvious to the others that he was meditating, as all Jedi did. Rex and Sabine removed their helmets and welcomed the fresh air that blew against their sweaty faces. They had those things on for so long that they had kinda become uncomfortable. Zeb had found a couple big, tall stones against the wall, so he decided to lye down and get some shuteye like Ezra.

Aragorn and Sam were a couple feetbehind the company. Sabine glanced over to see what they were doing and realized they were taking all the stuff off Bill the Pony. Why, though? She hopped to her feet and walked over to see them.

"What's going on?" she asked the ranger.

Aragorn removed the horse's saddle and placed it down on the ground, "We have to let him go. I talked it over with Gandalf, and he agreed."

Sam had a look of sorrow on his face and shook his head in defense, "Bill can handle anything, Strider! He's a strong and brave horse!"

"I know he probably is," Aragorn nodded, and sympathetically placed a hand on the hobbit's shoulder, "but we are going underground for a long while, and the path isn't always that safe. The mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill."

Sam lowered his head and regretfully nodded. Sabine felt sorry for the poor hobbit and put her arm around him. He had loved that horse ever since they got him from Bree. She could understand why it would be so hard to let him go now. But Aragorn was also right. The path through this Moria would no doubt have some narrow parts to it that Bill wouldn't be able to travel across. It was wise to let him go, even though it was hard to. And Sam realized as much.

The hobbit placed his hand on the horse's head and muttered sadly, "Goodbye, Bill."

With that, Aragorn sent the pony on his way. Bill galloped back down the way they came, and Sam watched him tearfully until he was out of sight. Sabine wanted to say something to comfort him, but she couldn't find the words.

Aragorn gave the hobbit a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Sam. He knows the way home."

Sabine nodded in agreement and added, "He's a smart horse."

All Sam's response was was a small nod, before walking back to join the others. The Mandalorian and ranger slowly followed. When they reached the others, Aragorn sat down and joinedGimli in smoking a pipe. Sabine just sat beside Boromir and watched the black water. There were a couple ripples here and there, but there wasnothing too interesting about it. Sabine could hear Gandalf still chanting, but of course the door still wasn't opening. Perhaps she could do something about it. After all, she did have explosives and could just blow the door open. Well, on second thought, maybe it wasn't such a good idea. They were trying to prove to these people that they were here to help, not blow up their stuff.

Boromir looked over at Gandalf to see how he was doing, but when he saw nothing changing, he groaned in aggravation.

"Looks like someone's ready to get moving," Sabine commented with a grin.

Boromir leaned forward and folded his hands together, shaking his head, "This is a waste of time. We're out in the open, where _anything_ can spot us. And obviously that door isn't going to open anytime soon."

Sabine shrugged, "I'm sure Gandalf will figure it out...eventually."

Boromir pointed at him, "Did you not see his reaction? He has no clue as to what he's doing." He began to fight with his hands, trying to control his aggravation, "We should've gone to the Gap of Rohan."

"Plans change, Boromir," Sabine replied with a frown, "Sometimes it's not the greatest option. But like Aragorn said, if we went there we'd be close to Saruman, and it wouldn't be so hard for him to catch us."

The Gondorian didn't respond to that, but just nodded. It was still very hard for the Mandalorian to read this man, but she had grown to trust him a bit more now. She was even kind of fond of him, despite some of his beliefs.

Boromir then gazed down at Sabine's helmet as she put it on the ground.

"May I see that, my lady?" he asked with interest.

Sabine was a bit hesitant, because she usually didn't let anybody touch her helmet. But she then nodded yes, so the Gondorian picked it up with his hands. He examined all around it, fascinated. He traced his fingers along the T-visor.

"You're people are called Mandalorians, am I right?" Boromir asked.

Sabine nodded, "Yes. We are one of the most powerful group of warriors in the galaxy. Our history goes back for so manycenturies."

"Indeed?" Boromir commented, still gazing at the helmet, "And all of you wear armor like this?"

Sabine kind of stiffened when she replied, "Most of us. Yet, there are some that don't. Clan Saxon is what they are called. They are traitors to Mandalore. Gar Saxon took control of my people and rules over them on behalf of the Empire." Her fists clenched as memories flooded her mind, "They are _killers, deceivers._ They have caused so much pain and death upon all Mandalorians."

Boromir frowned when she had finished saying that, "You and your friends speak about this 'Galactic Empire'a lot. It sounds like you are not too fondof them."

Sabine let out a small laugh, "Oh we are not fond of them at all. We _despise_ them. They've taken so much from all of us. Especially Ezra," she pointed back at the young Jedi. Her face darkened again and then she muttered quietly, "and me."

Boromir noticed how disturbed she looked, and wasn't sure what to say. He could see her fidgeting her hand around constantly. But he did recognize the look on her face, for he'dhad a similar look multiple times back in Gondor.

"Forgive me for being too curious, Sabine," he said apologetically, "butyou seem to havehad a lot of memories with the Empire. Painful memories."

Sabine shook her head, "There is no need to apologize, Boromir. But you are right, I've had a lot of painful memories in my past. One in particular that has always haunted me up to this day."

She could never get it out of her head. She even dreamed about it in her sleep, and it always got worse and worse. There was nothing that could make her feel better about it. And she had joined the rebels because she thought she could make things better. Amend for her actions. So far, that had proved helpful. But the guilt still lingered in her heart.

"Would you like to talk about it?" Boromir then asked her.

"I really don't talk about it too much," Sabine immediatelyresponded, although she felt like it was a bit too harsh. She then sighed, "What I can say about it though was that I used to be a cadet at the Imperial Academy on Mandalore. There, I followed the Empire's orders blindly, for I was raised to trust them." For no reason, she began to scratch the ground with her finger. "For a couple years, I did, until I realized what a terrible mistake I made. I had done something...unforgivable, and I had tried to fix itby speaking out against the Empire. But my family didn't stand with me. They, like so many others, saw me as a traitor to Mandalore."

was the hardest thing to feel. That's what Sabine had felt when her family didn't stand with her. She never understood why they didn't. And she was afraid to possiblygo back there someday and facethem. She really didn't want to. Sabine felt like she was already a disgrace to them, so how'd they look at her if they ever discovered she was working for the rebellion?

Boromir looked down at the ground, closing his eyes.

"I am very sorry, my lady," he said, feeling sorry for her.

Sabine just made a passive wave with her hand, "It's alright. There's nothing that can be done about that now. I can't change what my family thinks of me."

Boromir slowly nodded and sighed, "I know that feeling."

Sabine was a bit stunned to hear that from him, "You have family issues too, captain?"

"Of sorts," Boromir answered,crossinghis arms and leaning back against the rock. "My father, Lord Denathor, is a very humble man. He has worked hard to make the city of MinusTirith peaceful and prosperous. Although, you might say he  
has become obsessed with strength. He favors those that can win his battles, and turns down his nose at whoever fails him. In this case...my brother." Sabine looked at him, surprised, and he nodded, "Yes, I have a brother. Faramir is his name. And  
I love him to death. But my father...well, it's hard to tell. Faramir always tries to do his will, but he never gives him any credit. I sometimes feel like my father loves me more than my brother, and I don't want that. And I try to make him see  
that Faramir loves him, but he will hear none of it."

That sounded all too familiar to Sabine. There were never any favorites in her family, but she knew what it felt like to be unloved. She was still a bit surprised that Boromir would have such a problem. Butapparently every family has its dark secrets.

Sabine leanedher head against her hand, "That sounds hard."

"At times, it can be," Boromir said heavily, "I would want nothing more than to see my father and Faramir love each other as much as I am loved."

Sabine nodded, understandingly, "Maybe there is still a chance for that to happen."

The Gondorian exhaled and shrugged, "I really hope so."

Sabine was about to say something else, but then she and Boromir suddenly jumped when they heard someone burst out coughing. They looked over and saw Zeb clutching his throat, slightly red in the face. Ezra, who had apparently woken up not too long ago,  
was having a laughing fit. The Lasat was holding Gimli's pipe in his hand and furiously threw it to the ground as he continued coughing. Hera had her hand on her forehead and Kanan was trying his best to ignore whatever was going on.

When Sabine and Boromir had asked the Twi'lek captain what happened, she explained that Zeb had taken an interest in how a lot of the people in Middle Earth smoked pipe weed. When he asked Gimli if he could try some, the dwarf had handed it over to him,  
and instructed him just to inhale it. So the Lasat had done as told, but he inhaled too much of it, and it made him burst out coughing. Immediately after hearing that, Sabine began to laugh as hard as Ezra, and Boromir even chuckled.

Gimli didn't look real happy abouthow the Lasat treated his pipe, and picked it up off the ground, brushing the dirt off.

Zeb, still clutching his throat, croaked, "That stuff tastes horrible! How do you people like it?!"

"It doesn't taste horrible!" Gimli retorted, "This is Old Toby! It's the best weed in the whole entire land!"

Zeb glared at him, "What's it best at? Suffocating people to death?!"

Hera groaned, "Okay Zeb that's enough." She then grabbed a canteen full of waterand tossed it to the Lasat, "Here. Drink."

Oh, Zeb drank alright. As soon as he caught the bloody thing, he instantly downed all the water within it. His coughing kind of died down, but it was still there. He then glared at Ezra, who was still laughing, and punched him in the shoulder before standing  
up.

"I'm gonna walk around," he grumbled.

He stopped though when he saw Merry and Pippin throwing rocks in the water. He rose a brow and walked over to the two, placing his hands on his hips. He watched their every move as they bent down, seized a good sized rock, and then threw as far as they  
could. Zeb let them do that for a few more seconds before deciding to ask the question.

"What're you two up to now?" he asked.

Merry gave him an annoyed look before responding, "What does it look like? My cousin and I are trying to see who can throw the farthest rock!"

They both then returned to doing just that, but Zeb didn't budge, and just stared at them like they were some weirdos.

"Let me rephrase that question," the Lasat said irritably, " _Why_ are you trying to throw the farthest rock?"

"Because there's nothing else to do," Pippin bluntly replied, chucking a good sized rock right at a branch that was sticking out of the water.

Zeb looked back at Hera, Ezra, and Sabine, as if begging them to please let him hit the two hobbits. But the three just ignoredhim and pretended to be watching Gandalf try to get the door open.

"Oh, nice shot, Pip!" Merry exclaimed with a chuckle.

Zeb looked back at them, confused, "What? What did he do?"

Merry pointed out towards the center of the lake, "He almost made it past the center. That's a new record in this contest of ours!"

Zeb scanned the lake, and saw that it was pretty good sized, and he could even see the last of the ripples from where Pippin had thrown the rock.

The Lasat let out an amused snort, and pushed them aside, "You call that fantastic? That's nothing!" He then reached down and picked up an even bigger rock and showed it to them, "This is what real throwing looks like."

Without saying another word, Zeb pulled his arm back, and then threw the rock forward as fast as he could. Merry and Pippin watched in amazement as it went soaring through the air and went past the center of the lake, hitting close to the land on the  
other side. Zeb then popped his knuckles and crossed his arms proudly.

Merry then shook his head in determination, "Oh I've got to beat that!"

And so the three of them went at it, throwing with al, their might. Ezra just rolled his eyes and walked over to join Gandalf and Frodo. Aragorn was there too, watching the wizard and the door. However, when the ranger heard a loud splash, he twirled  
around, wide eyed, and saw the Lasat and hobbits throwing the rocks. He immediately rushed over and grabbed Zeb's arm right before he was about to throw the next rock.

"Do not disturb the water!" Aragorn hissed.

Zeb shrugged, "Why not? What's so wrong about that?"

Kanan's eyes opened, and he along with everybody else, except Ezra, Frodo, and Gandalf, looked over at the four.

Aragorn pointed down at the water and muttered to Zeb, "There's something dark lurking in these waters. I do not trust it, and you might awaken something that you don't want to meet."

Sabine's eyes suddenly fixed on the center of the lake and shepointed, "I...think we might be too late."

Everybody looked out and froze. There were ripples in the water. Ripples that _did not_ come from the rocks the hobbits and the Lasat threw. No, these ripples were moving closer to the shore, and it was making everybody's hair stand on end. Hera,  
Sabine, and Rex rested their hands on their blasters, watching the ripples closely.

Zeb looked at Aragorn and muttered angrily, "You could've said something before!"

Aragorn said nothing and just signaled for him to be quiet. His eyes were focused on the water, as were everybody else's. What was beneath that black disgusting water? It had to be something, since they were seeing ripples.

Meanwhile, Gandalf had officially given up on trying to open the door and sat himself down, removing his pointy hat. Ezra didn't get why these doors weren't opening. If the wizard said every spell he could think of, then maybe there was no getting into  
Moria. But there had to be something. The Fellowship hadn't come all this way for nothing. One way or another, they had to get inside. Ezra was going to see to it.

So the writing on the door said, " _Speak, friend, and enter_." Maybe there was something that Gandalf misinterpreted, even though that was very unlikely. Ezra decided to give it a shot, though, even if it meant making a fool of himself.

The young Jedi stepped in front of the door, and said aloud, "Hey, we are friends!"

Immediately, the whole Fellowship looked at the kid with raised brows. Then they looked at the door to see if that somehow did the trick. But as expected, the door didn't budge.

"Okay," Zeb commented, "that was just plain pathetic."

Ezra backed away from the door, not really liking all the attention he was getting, and sat beside Frodo and Gandalf.

"It was worth a shot," the apprentice mumbled to himself.

Suddenly, Frodo's eyes went wide as he thought of something. He placed his hand on Ezra's arm and whispered, "Maybe you weren't _entirely_ wrong, Ezra."

Ezra looked at his friend, questionably, "What do you mean?"

Frodo rose to his feet and beckoned the Jedi to follow him to the door.

"Don't you see?!" Frodo said to him, "It's a riddle! _'Speak, friend, and enter.'_ " He then looked over at Gandalf and asked, "What's the Elvish word for friend?"

Gandalf looked at the hobbit, slight surprise and curiosity in his glance, and said, " _Mellon_."

Instantly, to everybody's shock, the stone doors opened outward! Everyone's jaws dropped, some of them looked a little bit aggravated. The answer had been so simple! They just had to say 'friend' in Elvish and they could've gotten in! Why in the world  
hadn't anybody thought of that before?!

Oh well, enough said. Nobody bothered to complain at how simple it could've been and instead quickly picked up all their belongings, and prepared to enter the mines. Ezra was more than ready to as well. He had enough of resting for a while. He was ready  
to get moving, and he thought the wizard's chanting would've never ended. He smiled at Frodo, and nodded him, basically saying "well done."

Once everybody looked all set to go, Gandalf was the first to enter the Mines of Moria. Gimli eagerly rushed after him. All the company could see so far was darkness beyond the doors, but Ezra had a feeling their wizard friend would fix that up in no  
time. He saw Aragorn and Kanan glance back at the lake for a second and wondered what they were looking at. But before the young Jedi could ask, they turned away and followed everybody else into the mines.

When Ezra went past the doors, the first thing that got his attention was the smell. There was a rather stinky stench in the air. It almost smelt like something was rotting away, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He would've plugged his nose,  
but he didn't want to be rude. He had no wish to be on Gimli's bad side. But the dwarf wasn't paying attention to anybody. His eyes were looking forward, at the mines.

He then looked at Legolas, and announced humbly, "Soon, master Elf, you will experience the fabled hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone!"

Both Ezra and Zeb perked up at that. The idea of having some meat sounded _really_ good to them. They had not had meat for so long. All Rivendell served were those salads, and the Jedi and Lasat were in no mood for that stuff. The meat wasn't the  
only thing that got Zeb's attention. In fact, he and Kanan liked the sound of a good drink. They wondered what Dwarven beer tastes like. Well, they were no doubt soon to find out.

Ezra looked around the mines, expecting to see a dwarf or two come out of the darkness to greet them, but strangely none did. There actually didn't seem to be anybody else in the dark hall the Fellowship was standing in. Where was everybody? Gandalf  
blowed into the top of his staff, and it instantly glowed bright, providing some light for the whole entire room. Ezra could now see some Dwarven statues along the walls andgreat stone stairs in front of them that led deeper into the mines.  
But the young apprentice also saw several things laying along the stairs. His eyes narrowed as he tried to get a better look at them. He couldn't exactly make out what those were, but they almost looked human sized.

Gimli then spoke up again, now in utter disgust, "This, my friend, is the home of my cousin, Balin. And they call it a mine. A mine!"

It didn't really smell like a mine. Well, at least it wasn't a smell Ezra would expect.

Rex looked around, activating the night vision on his helmet, but still seeing no dwarves and then mumbled, "Not much of a welcoming committee."

Kansan glanced at the clone and just smiled before looking down at the ground. But when he did, his smile suddenly vanished and his face paled.

"And I think it know why," he replied, pointing down at the ground.

Everybody looked down, and suddenly backed away in horror. Staring up at them, was the grinning decaying skeleton of a dead dwarf! The four hobbits were actually standing right up against one, but immediately moved away from it. Ezra looked to his left,  
and saw another dead dwarf. He then looked to his right. There was another! Then, he slowly looked at the stairs and realized what was all over them. They were the bodies of fallen dwarves!

That explained the stench. Hera and Sabine looked like they were going to be sick. The sight of so many bodies was rather disturbing. And Gimli felt the same way, for he was examining up close every fallendwarf within that room. And the more he  
looked, the more upset he became.

"This is no mine," Boromir said, "It's a tomb."

Gimli shook his head over and over, "No. No!" He then suddenly letout a monsterous yell, "Nooooooooo!"

Ezra looked in disbelief at how many dead bodies were in that room. Too many to count, that's for sure. He could feel so much darkness. For some reason, he even thought he could hear the dying screams of these poor dwarves. It gave him goosebumps.

"What happened here?!" he finally asked.

At first, nobody answered his question. But then Legolas noticed and arrow sticking out of one of the dwarves. He knelt down and picked it up, examining it closely. Ezra didn't like the look on his face once he confirmed what the arrow was.

Legolas looked back at the others and said, "Goblins!"

When everybody heard that, they immediately jumped into action. Aragorn and Boromir pulled out their swords. Hera, Zeb, Sabine, and Rex pointed their blasters up towards the stairs of the mines. And Ezra and Kanan activated their lightsabers. Both Jedi  
shined their weapons at every dark corner of the mine, half-expecting to see something jump out from it. But the room was still empty.

Goblins?! Here?! How did they get into Moria?! Ezra had not seen the vile creatures yet, but just thinking about them made him feel uneasy. And none of the others looked real happy about it either.

"Karabast," Zeb growled, pointing his bo-rifle everywhere, "We've fallen into another trap!"

Boromir then gave every member of the company a hard lookand said angrily, "We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here. Now get out of here! Get out!"

For the moment, everybody agreed with the Gondorian. Coming to Moria was another terrible mistake, and they were more than happy to leave right this minute. So they all turned around, but suddenly got another horrifiying surprise. A massive tentacle had  
emerged from the black lake, and then grabbed Frodo by the leg! The hobbit screamed out in terror as it then began to pull him towards the water. He tried to grab onto something, but the tentacle was far stronger.

"Frodo!" Sam yelled out. 


	29. Chapter 29

**Finals are over, and I'm back! lol :) I'm very sorry for taking this long to update. I am very glad to be having the time to write again. :) Thank you guys for being patient and understanding. I also wanted to wish you all happy holidays. :) Can't believe Christmas is almost here. lol :) I went to see Star Wars: The Last Jedi a couple days ago, and to be quite honest, I enjoyed it. :) Anyways, enough talk. lol. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. :)**

* * *

****

**Chapter 28: Journey in the Dark**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

Another problem was once again on the Fellowship's hands. And this time it came in the form of atentacle. When everybody saw Frodo being dragged towards the water, they immediately rushed out of the mine to help him. Hera, Sabine, Zeb,and  
Rex were firing at the tentacle, trying to make it releasethe poor hobbit, while Sam, Merry, and Pippin were hacking at it with their swords. Ezra was about to rush up and cut it with his lightsaber, but the three hobbits had already done the  
job. Their blades cut completely through the flesh and Frodo was free.

Ezra thought he heard a monsterous roar come from beneath the water. The wounded tentacle had disappeared back below the surface. Frodo and his kin sighed with relief, thinking that was taken care of. But they saw how wrong they were as suddenly several  
tentacles shot out of the water. Their first move was knocking the hobbits down. Their next move was once again grabbing Frodo by the leg and hoisting him into the air! The hobbit was screaming out in terror as he was hanging upside down.

Ezra didn't know what to do. He was too busy fearing for his friend's life that he couldn't think clearly. The rest of the tentacles were attacking the Fellowship, and one almost hit the young Jedi. Ezra had seen it coming, though, and had jumped out  
of the way just in time. The tentacle then made another swing for him, but this time he was ready and cut through it with his lightsaber. Whatever this thing was, it felt that, and let out another roar of pain. Ezra had a feeling that he had just  
made it angrier because he saw the rest of that tentacle still attempt to attack him.

"What is this thing?!" he shrieked, "A dianoga?!"

Sabine dodged one of the long arms and fired her twin blasters before raising a brow at Ezra, "Yeah, sure. And it just _happens_ to be on a planet that hasn't heard of Twi'leks or Lasats!"

Ezra rolled his eyes irratibly, "Not a good time for sarcasm, Sabine!"

"Nevermind what it is!" Kanan snapped at them as he leapt and then sliced at a tentacle, "It has Frodo! Focus on getting him down from there!"

"What do you think we've been doing?!" Zeb asked annoyingly.

Everybody ignored him, and continued fighting. Aragorn and Boromir had raninto the water and weretrying to chop off the tentacles holding Frodo, but with little success. Thethicker the arm, the tougher the skin was. Legolas shot a few  
arrows towards the top of the tentacle, but unfortunately that had little affect compared to a creature wasn't liking the laser bolts hitting its arms, and Ezra could feel that it was getting angry.

Then, as Frodo was being lowered towardthe water, a huge slimy face emerged from below. And it was both the scariest and ugliest sight Ezra had ever seen. This was definitely no dianoga. It looked even worse than what those foul beasts were. Frodo  
was looking down at it, and paled when he saw the thing open its huge mouth. He kept on crying out for help, which only doubled the Fellowship's efforts.

Zeb had become irritated with this creature, so he aimed his bo-rifle right towards its face and fired. Indeed, that broke its attention on Frodo. But the bad news was that it had its eyes set on the Lasat now! Ezra sensed the danger, and tried to yellfor  
Zeb to run, but it was too late. The creature sent tons of its arms swinging straight at the Lasat and grabbed hold of him around the waist. Zeb tried to break free, but the tentacle had him in a tight grip. It then lifted him into the air as well.  
He tried to stab at it with theshock stick part of his bo-rifle, but the arm then violently swung him around and made him lose his grip on it. Ezra watched as the Lasat's weapon hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Zeb!" the young Jedi yelled.

Zeb was growling andfighting vigorously to loosen the tentacle's hold on him, "Let go of me, you big glob of slime!"

Boromir looked up and saw him hanging there and groaned, "Great."

While Aragorn focused on trying to get Frodo down, the Gondorian turned his attention to getting the Lasat down. He furiously chopped at the tentacles, but before he could get far, another arm swooped down and knocked the man off his feet. And instead  
of taking an interest to Frodo first, the creature brought Zeb closer to its mouth, opening wide. And Ezra didn't need to guess what would happen next.

Zeb realized it too, and shook his head fearfully, "No no no no no no!"

It then began to loosen its grip on the Lasat. Zeb could feel himself slipping, and he was right over that thing's mouth! Ezra had become desperate now, and sliced as many tentacles out of his way as he could. He had to catch his friend. They were _not_ going  
to be down one crew member.

It finally happened. Zeb had made his best attempt to hold on to the arm, but he finally lost his grip and was now falling. Straight down towards the bottom of that thing's throat. However, he then found himself floating in midair and realized thatEzra  
holding him up. The padawan focused hard on the Force to try and move him away from the creature. Zeb just hoped the kid didn't lose focus and drop him.

But of course, his fears had to come true, because Ezra wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, and that thing was about to swing another one of its arms at him!

"Kid, watch out!" Zeb shouted.

Ezra's eyes snapped open, and he jumped above the swinging tentacle, but that made him lose focus, and the Lasat was falling again. And this time all the way to the creature's mouth. But just before he could go in, Zeb reached his hands out and grabbed  
onto a couple of its teeth. He didn't have time to react to how awful it felt, because he wasbusytrying to stay alive and _not_ go beyond the mouth.

Then, to make things worse, the creature began to close its mouth, attempting to eat the Lasat. Zeb immediately swung his feet up and pressedthem hard against its bottom teeth. He did the same thing with his hands against the top  
was now in a very tight spot. The thing had strong jaws, and he was trying to keep its mouth open with all his might. Kanan sensed a danger to that move and waved to the rest of the crew.

"Hold your fire!" he ordered, "If that thing opens its mouth any wider, Zeb will fall in!"

Zeb was now sweating and he found himself yelling the last thing he ever thought he'd say, " _Help_!"

"What're we going to do?!" Rex demanded, "If we don't find a way to kill this thing, Zeb and Frodo are going to die!"

Kanan turned his head to the side, trying to debate what to do. Their options were very little. They couldn't shoot at the creature with their blasters, and the Jedi Knight doubted his lightsaber would be of much help either. And he could feel Zeb's strength  
weakening every second. They couldn't risk the creature opening its mouth wider. Once the Lasat fell in, there would be no possible way to get him out. And Kanan had no wish to let any of his companions die today.

He then had an idea. The creature was swinging its arms all over the place, and even though that was a big problem for the company, he was beginning to think they might have some good use after all.

"Ezra!" Kanan shouted to his apprentice, "I need you to listen to me, and do exactly as I say!"

Ezra looked at him and ducked as another tentacle came at him, "Okay, sure, Kanan." He ran over to his master and dodged another swing, "What do I need to do?"

"Grab on to one of its arms," Kanan instructed.

Ezra had a shocked look on his face. Had Kanan gone mad?! He looked at the creature, and watched as it was furiously swinging poor Frodo about.

"Kanan, are you crazy?!" Ezra exclaimed.

"Just do it!" Kanan snapped. He then reached out his hand and waited for another tentacle to come his way. When it did, he seized the tip of the arm with his hand and was instantly hoisted into the air.

Ezra just watched him. Was he seriously expecting him to do this too?! Was he trying to get them both killed?! Nervously, the young Jedi reached his hand out as well, and when a tentacle came his way, he did what his master did and grabbed it at the top.  
He suddenly felt his whole body launch up into the air as he held on to the longslimy wiggling arm. The world around him was spinning, and he felt like he could be launched into space by how violently he was being swung around.

But then Ezra reminded himself to focus. He closed his eyes and made every attempt to stay calm and let the Force be his guide. Now obviously Kanan was having them do this for a reason, and he needed to find out what it was. He sensed his master on the  
other side of the creature, facing the same circumstances that he was. However, Ezra could also sense that Kanan was focusing on the Force as well.

The young Jedi waited for him to make a move. But when he finally did, it was the last thing Ezra expected him to do. Kanan was slowly inching himself down the tentacle towards the creature's gaping mouth! A flash of panic came over the young apprentice.  
This plan was getting crazier by the minute. Ezra wondered if he should just forget and let Kanan handle this one, but then thought twice and had a strange feeling that Zeb and Frodo couldn't be saved without his help.

He took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the slimy skin, and slowly moved down. The creature wasn't paying any attention to them. It was mainly focusingon trying to slap away Aragorn and Boromir who were chopping at the arm holding Frodo, and  
trying to close its mouth on the ever so struggling Lasat. The rest of the Fellowship were watching fearfully on the shore, hoping that the two Jedi knew what they were doing.

Ezra could feel himself getting closer it the thing's mouth. He knew that because he could smell the odor of what might be thousands of rotting corpses. Who knows how many helpless individuals this thing had now had to wrap his arms around  
the tentacle because the part close to the body was really thick. He was lucky that the slime didn't make him fall off.

What now?

Ezra finally opened his eyes again, and gave his best effort to see what Kanan was doing. The arm constantly moving was making that a bit difficult, unfortunately. He did see Kanan turn his head towards him and make a gesture with his handto wait.  
Wait for what, exactly? Zeb was now screaming in agony. His grip was about to give way, and it'd bring the creatures big sharp teeth down upon him.

Then, without warning, Ezra saw Kanan jump off the tentacle and high into the air. The whole world around young Jedi seemed to slow downas he saw what his master did next. As Kanan was falling back down, he moved both of his hands back to the right  
side of him, and instead of clasping them together, he had them a couple centimeters apart, as if he was harnessing energy in between his palms. His gritted his teethas he then threw is hands forward with all his might.

Immediately, Zeb was launched out of the creature's mouth by some unseen force and was flying right towards Ezra. The apprentice realized what he had to do, and then used the Force with all his might to push the Lasat as close to the shore as possible.  
Zeb fell into the black soulless water with a loud splash. Before Kanan could join him, though, he somehow grasped onto another one of the creature's tentacles and swung himself up to where he was standing on top of it.

"Ezra, now!" he shouted as he began to run along it.

Ezra jumped onto the arm he was holding on to and followedhis master. Both Jedi activated their lightsabers and raced straight for the tentacle holding Frodo. They launched themselves at it and chopped the arm up into two pieces. Frodo came falling  
down towards Aragorn and Boromir. The Gondorian held his arms out and caught the hobbit.

Ezra, Kanan, and Zeb swam onto the shore, followed by the other three. Now the creature was really mad, and began to move closer to the Fellowship. Hera, Sabine, and Rex were about to resume firing but Gandalf then abrubtly shoved them into Moria's entrance.

" _Into the Mines_!" the wizard ordered the company.

Nobody argued and stopped what they were doing, retreating into the door. Legolas, however, sent a few arrows the creature's way before following the Fellowshipinside. It shrieked in pain for a few seconds, but then furiously grasped its tentacles  
onto the rocks all around the stone doors. Ezra could feelthe ground beneath him tremble, and realized the creature was blocking the entrance! Massive rocks tumbled down from outside, landing right in front of door. Within the next five seconds,  
the Fellowship was surrounded by complete darkness, and everything became silent.

Sabine had accidentally fallen to the ground during all the commotion and her helmet had rolled off to somewhere in the chamber. She was as blind as the rest of the company. With a grunt, she shakingly got back on her feet. There was some dust in the  
air and it made her cough. She then heard Ezra coughing too and felt around for him. Her hand finally made contact with his arm and she then grasped the young Jedi's hand.

"Ezra, are you okay?" the Mandalorian asked worriedly.

A couple coughs later came Ezra's reply, "I think so."

Sabine then rose a brow as she then got a feel of the young Jedi's hand, "Are you sure? Your hand feels reallycold."

"Um Sabine?" Ezra said confusedly, "That's not _my_ hand you're holding on to."

Before Sabine could ask anything else, there came a loud booming sound. She looked back in alarm, but relaxed when she saw it was only Gandalf, tapping his staff on the ground and creating a bright light for everybody to see each other. The whole company  
had dust from the rubble all over them and they began to brush it off.

Sabine then looked back to see whose hand she was holding, but then realized that it was a skeleton. She yelped in horror and quickly let go, stepping away from the corpse. She then spotted her helmet against the wall and picked it up, placing it back  
on her head. She didn't want anybody to see the embarrassed look on her face.

Nobody noticed, though. They were busy looking back at the blocked entrance.

Finally, Gandalf spoke aloud, "We have nowbut one choice. We must face the long dark of Moria."

As tough as it was for the Fellowship to hear, they knew that it was their only option now. They couldn't move all that rock. Well, the Jedi could but that creature was still out there, and would probably be more than happy to attack them again. So their  
only option was to go forward, into this 'great' Dwarven kingdom. There was no time to complain nor rest, for they knew that this wasn't the time to do it. They had to get moving.

So without even a second thought, everybody picked all their attire back up and waited for the wizard's next move. When Gandalf was convinced that they were all ready, he turned around and walked towards the steep stone stairs before them. The others  
slowly followed.

"Be on your guard," Gandalf warned them, "There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world."

Everybody exchanged glances when he said that. What exactly was he meaning by that? What could be worse than these Orc things Ezra had constantly heard about? Maybe it was one of these'fouler things'that aredown here that made Gandalf  
so afraid to come to Moria in the first place. And the young apprentice was starting to feel said fear too, for he wasn't really wanting to journey in the dark.

None of the crew of _the Ghost_ did. The look of Moria already gave them the creeps.

Ezra glared disappointingly at Zeb and whispered, "Nice going, Zeb! You just _had_ to wake that thing up and get us stuck in here!"

Zeb held up his hands in guilt and nodded, "Okay okay, I know. This ones definitely on me." He then glared at Merry and Pippin, "I shouldn't have listened to Tweedle-Dum and Tweedle-Dummer."

Both hobbits were about to argue with the Lasat, but they got silenced by the wizard.

"Shh, quietly now," Gandalf muttered to the rear of the group.

Merry and Pippin knew better than to disobey the old man, so they immediately shut their mouths. They'd argue with Zeb later. They _always_ argued later. Ezra sometimes wondered how those two managed to stay alive from Zeb's constant threats.

Hera stared at the corpses along the stairs and shivered. It was both creepy and saddening. These poor dwarves didn't deserve such a fate. What kind of monsters were these Goblins to cause so much death and destruction? Not even the Empire had this many  
casualties. They'd rather imprison or enslave the populace, not put them to death. But the Imperials were still monsters all the same.

Gandalf shot them all another glance and whispered, "It's a four day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

Zeb's mouth hung open and he silently mouthed "Four days?!" Ezra and Sabine looked as unhappy. Four days in the bloody dark?! How would they survive?! Rex simply grunted before turning the night vision back on his helmet. The wizard's light was helpful,  
but clone technology was better in his opinion. Kanan had similar thoughts and activated his lightsaber to give some extra light to the Fellowship's surroundings. Sabine followed suite and activated her helmet's night vision.

Aragorn and Boromir noticed some torches at the top of the stairs and rushed up to grab them. Apparently everybody was wanting to get as much light as possible if they were going to be traveling in the dark for four days. With some help from Gandalf's  
staff, the two men soon had the torches blazing, making things even brighter. Ezra rose a brow. Even after they had been on this planet for so long, the locals still had a high regard for doing stuff the old fashionway.

With light now basically surrounding the whole entire Fellowship, Gandalf led them into the darkness before them. And when Ezra's eyes became more used to the dark, he could finally see what the inside of the mines looked like. It was enormous! He would  
never have thought to have seen a kingdom with so much empty space beneath the mountains.

They were walking along a narrow stone pathway that went through huge stone arches. Ezra kind of wished this path had rails or something because he glanced over the edge only to find more darkness. There was no telling how far one would go down should  
they accidentally slip off. These were mines, so Ezra guessed it would go down a long way. Curious how dwarves could live here.

Speaking of which, none of the travelers were surprised to find no sign of anybody. The Dwarven population had vanished. Well, besides the couple dead corpses they saw laying along the path. Ezra knew better than to think the Mines were deserted. Thanks  
to Legolas's observation, they all knew that Goblins had attacked this place. How long ago was yet to be seen.

But Gimli keptinsisting that there had to be survivors deeper into Moria. And no doubt his cousin, Balin, would be with them. According to him, the elder dwarf wouldn't go down without a good fight. And Ezra believed him. Yet, Gandalf remained unsure  
about Balin's could tell he was regretting even more coming here. The old wizard didn't need to say anything, his expression said it all.

Nobody heard a peep out of thefour hobbits as they continued walking. They didn't look the least bit thrilled to be here either. Ezra thought he saw Pippin nervously glance around dark corners off and on, thinking there would be something there.  
Poor Halfling. Although, he, along with his cousin and Zeb, were partially responsible for getting them trapped in here.

Sam kept his eyes lowered to the ground. He didn't like Moria, and was eager to get out as soon as  
possible. He was still a bit sad about having to let Bill go. And now that they had discovered a huge creature beneath the black water, Sam was now even more worried about the pony. What if that thing got him?! What if poor Bill was dragged into that  
filthy water and eaten?! He tried to hold back his tears, but unfortunately couldn't prevent a couple from rolling down his cheeks.

Behind her helmet, Sabine watched the hobbit from the corner of her eye. When she spotted the tears, she walked up behind him, placed her hands on his shoulders, and gently rubbed them, trying to comfort him. It had little effect, but Sam was greatful  
for the comfort nonetheless.

Ezra shot both of them a glance and gave a sad smile. He too felt sorry for Sam, but he did understand why they had to let Bill go. He also noticed how sentimental Sabine seemed to be. That's when he realized that the Mandalorian had indeedchanged  
since they got here. He kind of regretted saying earlier that she hadn't changed all this, Sabine had been a rather distant person. She liked to be in her room alone, eat alone, paint alone, etc. She might've been a good friend,  
but she had still been a loner. Yet now, here of all places, she had seemed to put all that behind her. And to Ezra's disbelief, Sabine had developed,in her heart, asoft spot for the hobbits. The young Jedi didn't know if he'd ever get  
the chance to say this, but he was actually really proud of her, and couldn't help but lightly smile at her as she comforted Sam.

Frodo, of all the hobbits, was the most quiet. He felt like he made a mistake about deciding to come to Moria. And it made him fear more for the safety of his friends. He didn't feel any better about choosing to be the Ring Bearer, but he had a feeling  
that this would've been part of what he was getting himself into. And he accepted that. He was doing this for all Middle Earth, especially the Shire. Oh how he missed his home. He missed the comfort of Bag End, the harvesting and planting, the taste  
of the first strawberries of the new year. So many good things happened back home, and for the first time, Frodo would actually miss it. He wondered if this was how Bilbo felt when he set off on his grand adventure with the dwarves.

There was also something else keeping Frodo quiet. He was closer to the end of the group, and since nobody was talking, he could hear the echoing of their footsteps. However, when Gandalf halted the company for a few seconds, Frodo heard something that  
sounded a bit off. He was confident that all members of the Fellowship stopped at the same time, yet he still heard the echoing of feet. Well, at least for a second. The hobbit wasn't sure if he was imagining this or not, but it almost sounded like  
something was following them. Whenever they moved, he heard the faintest sound of feet not that far behind. He didn't worry about it though, but if he actually did see something, then he'd tell Gandalf.

Kanan had a slight frown on his face during the whole entire walk. He sensed so much darkness here. Pain, suffering, death. The Dark Side of the Force was strong in this place. Or was it Sauron's power he was sensing? Kanan couldn't really tell anymore.  
They had been stranded on Middle Earth for so long that a lot of the things he used tobe accustomed to were now vivid memories in his mind. The Force flowed so differently here. The slightest hint of darkness made the Jedi's hair stand on end.  
He knew that whatever happened here in Moria had Sauron or Saruman's fingerprints all over it.

As hours went by, they were now walking along a path right up against one of Moria's walls. Ezra looked around him and saw tons of big chains hanging all over the place. There was a huge dark pitright next to them. It was so huge that probably an  
Imperial cargo ship could fly through it, or even _the Ghost_ if it had been here. Ezra wondered what the dwarves did here. Was this one of their mining pits? Judging by the size, it'd probably take a whole army of dwarves to mine this place.  
What did they even mine for in this place?

Ezra then noticed that the wall had strange markings all over it. Wait. Were they even markings? The young apprentice traced his hand along it and noticed that they felt rougher than the stone wall itself. What was this stuff? It appeared to be buried  
beneath the rock. Gandalf noticed it too and stopped the company again. He shined his staff along the wall and mumbled something that sounded like admiration.

The wizard looked at everybody and said, "The wealth of Moria was not in gold, nor jewels," he then shined his staff down into the large pit, "but Mithril."

Every members' jaw dropped when they got a good look at the pit. Ezra was correct in thinking it was one of their mining pits, and it went down for miles and miles! There was no sign of the bottom anywhere. How many years did it take to achieve something  
like this?!

Zeb was starting to feel dizzy again like on Caradhras and backed up against the wall. Merry looked almost too curious and bent down further, but was quickly stopped by Pippin. Gimli looked unbothered and just grinned at the pit's 'beauty'. And as for  
the rest of the group, they were just simply awestruck. It was both fascinating and creepy to Ezra. There was still no sign of anybody, and he had a ridiculous fear that something big lingered at the bottom of the pit, waiting to pounce up and eat  
them all. There werea ton of places for those Goblins to hide, considering how big Moria was.

Gandalf then began to walk forward again and commented, "Bilbo had a shirt of Mithril rings that Thorin gave him."

Ezra recalled seeing the old hobbit presenting said shirt to Frodo back in Rivendell. He wasn't sure if the hobbit had ever tried it on though. After seeing Bilbo creepily try to take the ring, he had decided to step out and leave him and his nephew alone.

"Oh, that was a kingly gift!" Gimli exclaimed.

Hera traced her hands along the silver markings on the wall, "What is Mithril?"

"A rare metal found only in Moria," Gandalf explained, "It has a unique resemblance to silver, but is _far_ from it. It is stronger than any normal steelfound in Middle Earth, but amazingly blade can pierce it."

Rex's eyes widened behind his helmet, "How could someone like Bilbo be so lucky to receive something like that?!"

Gandalf chuckled and replied, "He helped 13 dwarves reclaim the ancient kingdom of Erebor."

The crew of _the Ghost_ had definitely heard that story who knows how many times.

"And this Thorin, I take it, was one of those 13," Hera realized.

Ezra and Sabine already knew this, though. They remembered Frodo's tales of his uncle's adventures back in Bag End. They both could recall one of said 13 dwarves being named Thorin Oakenshield. A name that still sounded strange to Ezra, specifically the  
last name.

Gandalf nodded, "Indeed, General Syndulla. Thorin was alsothe heir to the throne of Durin, and became 'King Under the Mountain' for a short time after Erebor was reclaimed." His face saddened when he thought back to those 60 years ago, "A short  
time indeed."

Zeb rose a curious brow, "Define: A short time."

Gimli butted in and huffed, "Meaning he wasn't evena king for a whole month! He died not longafter the death of the dragon, Smaug."

Gandalf sighed, "That is unfortunately true. When Erebor was reclaimed, all eyes from across Middle Earth turned towards the mountain, for both its wealth _and_ position. Eventually within the next couple days, war broke out between Dwarves, Men,  
Elves, and Orcs. Thorin joined in the fight, but was killed by the time it all ended."

Now that was something Ezra hadn'theard about. And he was slightly taken aback by how quickly the dwarf had died. He had only been king for a couple days! Ezra wondered whether Frodo just forgot to mention it...or if Bilbo didn't really like to  
talk about it. The young apprentice knew nothing of what it must've been like for Bilbo to go off on a journey for the first time. He could imagine that the old hobbit had developed a deep bond with all 13 dwarves. How close would he have been to  
Thorin? Probably to the point where the dwarf and hobbit became more like brothers instead of aquatints. He gave him a Mithril shirt, for crying out loud!

Oh how it must've hurt poor Bilbo to lose such a dear friend. Ezra could sense so many losses on this planet. Both the light and dark roamed through the lands, stronger than ever. He could feel almost every member of this company had experienced some  
sort of loss. Was this all the doing of Sauron? Most likely not. Yet, Ezra felt like the Dark Lord's wrath still had a big impact on the lives of these people.

Kanan crossed his arms and commented, "Bilbo was pretty fortunate to have a friend like him. This Mithril shirt is indeed an honorable gift."

"Indeed," Gandalf smiled, "I never told him, but it's worth is greater than the value of the Shire."

That was actually both stunning and hard for Ezra to believe. A simple shirt was more valuable than all of the Shire?! What could ever be more valuable than that peaceful little village? Mithril must be somethingif it even topped that merry land.  
Ezra looked back at Frodo to see what his reaction was. The hobbit had actually stopped for a brief moment, his eyes really wide after listening to what Gandalf said. But then when he saw the young Jedi looking at him, he started moving again. Ezra  
just smirked. He expected that kind of reaction. Frodo and Bilbo just didn't realize how lucky they were, even with that little ring trying to ruin their lives.

Everybody fell silent once again after that. And their original feelings returned. It seemed not even conversation could improve their feelings about traveling through Moria. And why should it? Ezra had never travelled in the dark for this long. And the  
scenery around him had a scary resemblance to the underground of Malachor. There were a lot of things there that had gone wrong. He had gotten separated from Kanan and Ahsoka, which led him to meeting Maul, which then led him to discovering the Sith  
holocron, which activated a weapon. Indeed so many things had gone wrong that day. And the only bright side about traveling through Moria was that Maul wasn't here this time. Yes, Ezra had trusted the former Sith Lord at first, but after what happened  
to Kanan and Ahsoka, he hoped never to see that traitorous Zabrak again.

What Ezra _did_ want to see, however, was sunlight. Several hours of darkness was too much to deal with. And there was now a slight chill in the air. Of course there would be. They were, after all, underground in a sense. This place was no better  
than Caradhras, though. And Ezra hated the feeling of goosebumps. He needed warmth. If only Gandalf could let them rest for a bit. But the wizard had no intention of stopping. He looked like he was wanting to get out of Moria as fast as possible.

But judging by the fact that it was a four day journey to the other side, Ezra felt like they would be stuck walking through these mines for a _very_ long time. 

* * *

More hours had passed, and the Fellowship was starting to slow down. They were tired, and angry, and hungry, and especially cold. What time even was it?! Did anybody even know what day it was?! Ezra couldn't tell anything anymore! All he had seen for  
all these hours was darkness! Was there no end?!

He calmed himself down, and slowly reminded himself to stay focused. There was no point in complaining, because that would get them nowhere. Ezra just wished to see the sun. Surely it would be out after how many hours they had travelled. Or had it gone  
down again? Ugh, he just didn't know! The darkness of Moria felt like an eternal night! And he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

To make things worse for the group, Chopper began to complain nonstop. That droid didn't even have to walk and he was still whining about being tired. There was nothing in the galaxy that that droid couldn't complain about. Ezra almost had half the mind  
to rip out that power chip from Chopper's circuits, and then make Zeb carry him the rest of the way.

Well, actually maybe not.

Judging by Zeb's expression right now, he'd probably just throw the astromech right at Merry and Pippin. Those two hobbits had become extremely slow, and the Lasat _had_ to be right behind them. He too was struggling to stay awake. Either that, or  
his stomach was growling. Zeb actually looked delirious, quite honestly. Ezra was afraid he might lose his balance eventually and collapse on the ground, unable to getup. He hoped that didn't happen. The last thing he wanted to carry was a smelly  
Lasat.

Things got even better when the Fellowship walked around a corner. Before them was long and steep column of stairs. Both Zeb and Boromir muttered something under their breaths, while the rest just looked up at the stairs in course  
meant one thing: They were gonna have to do some climbing. And that was the last thing they were in the mood for. Some shot Gandalf hopeful glances, expecting him to say that they could take a rest, but said hope was shattered when the old man started  
to climb.

With a groan from a couple of _the Ghost_ crew members, the whole company followed. Although, since the stairway was pretty steep, a majority of them knelt down on their hands and knees and then proceeded to climb up. Chopper was at the end of the  
line and let out a long over-exaggerated groan. They were moving so slow that every twenty seconds the droid would go up only one step.

Zeb was busy telling himself not to look over the edge. But the higher they climbed up, the more his heart pounded. He was beginning to think that he was clutching on to the stairs almost too tight. Zeb's hand suddenly fell on something. He looked down  
to see, but quickly pulled back his hand in disgust when he saw it was a bone. There were corpses all over the stairs. Where in this bloody kingdom did they _not_ have any corpses?

Suddenly, Pippin accidentally slipped and backed up against the Lasat, startling him to death. Merry grabbed his cousin and pulled him back up.

"Pippin!" he quietly scolded.

Zeb, who had recovered from his surprise, tapped the Took on the shoulder, "A little 'friendly' warning." He pointed at him and then said, "If I fall off these stairs, I'm taking you with me."

Pippin paled at that comment and then continued to climb. Hera shot Zeb a disappointed glare, but the Lasat just shrugged, pretending to wonder what he did wrong. Ezra rolled his eyes and just stared disgustingly at the rotting corpses. He even used the  
Force to push some nearby bones off the stairs.

Finally, after what seemed like several minutes, the Fellowship reached the top of the stairs. Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb were trying to catch their breath from all the climbing. But when they looked up, they saw Gandalf staring up ahead, as still as a statue.  
They all glanced passed him and saw what he was looking at. There were three doors that led three different directions. Ezra had a hunch that none of them would wind up leading to the same spot. They all looked to be leading to different rooms, although  
the Jedi couldn't tell because there were more stairs.

Gandalf turned his head towards every doorway. He didn't say anything for a couple minutes, and some of the Fellowship rose their brows, wondering what the holdup was.

Gandalf then tilted his head and finally said in complete embarrassment, "I have no memory of this place."

Kanan and Hera exchanged glances, and then the Jedi asked, "What do we do then, Gandalf?"

The wizard looked back at the company and realized how weary they looked. He even had to admit that they had been traveling for longer than they should've. It was indeed time for rest, especially since the old man's mind was having a difficult time remembering  
this particular area.

Gandalf smiled kindly at his companions and replied, "Perhaps this will be a good time for all of you to get some rest. We have travelled far over these past couple hours, and you deserve a good sleep."

Zeb exhaled, "Finally!" And abrubtly dropped the bags he had been carrying.

The hobbits agreed with him and collapsed on the ground in pure exhaustion. Nobody could express enough of how relieved they were to be taking a rest. Most of the company instantly fell asleep the moment they sat themselves down. Others got a small fire  
going and just sat around it, taking out pipes and smoking. Gandalf walked up and sat himself upon a large stone in front of the three pathways and juat sat there in deep thought. Ever since they got to Moria, things hadn't really seemed to be going  
the wizard's way, and he was getting pretty annoyed with it. First, he didn't remember the spell to open the doors, and now he didn't know which pathway was the right one to take.

Ezra didn't like the look of this. If the wizard had to think so hard that he had to sit down, he had a hunch they'd be here for a very long time. That was honestly kind of a good thing, in Ezra's mind. That meant tons of time to rest. So the young Jedi  
proceeded to borrow some unused cloaks from one of the bags and made a bed out of it. When he laidhimself down, he had to move around for a couple of seconds to get comfortable. The cloaks really did nothing, because he could still feel the  
cold hard stone floor. But for now, it'd have to do.

As more minutes ticked by, though, Ezra realized that he was never going to fall asleep. The floor was just too uncomfortable and he could hear other people whispering, and it was bothering the heck out of him. The best Ezra could do was just close his  
eyes and relax. It was moments like these that he rarely got to do anymore. He just enjoyed letting his mind wonder, think about ridiculous things, and even picture stuff in his mind. There was one particular image that instantly came to Ezra. It  
was something he hadn't really thought about that often.

Lothal.

Yes, he still missed it. Even though the planet was under Imperial occupation, he still missed wondering the streets. There were so many people there he wanted to see again: Mr. Sumar (another friend of his parents), Old Jho, Zare Leonis, Jai Kell, Ryder  
Azadi. People that he had left behind to deal with the Empire. Ezra couldn't believe how many years it had been since he visited his home planet. He kinda wished he could see it right now. If only the Force had some sort of way to take him there.  
He would be more than happy to step out of where he was just for a moment, and see Lothal's beautiful plains.

Would he ever get the chance to do that again? This quest was literally a matter of life and death. What if he somehow died on this journey? What if he would never fulfil the promise he made to return and free his home world? What if none of the crew  
made it? There were so many what ifs and it made Ezra afraid. He had never felt so afraid of death before. But then again, he never asked to come here. It just...happened. And now he had no idea if they'd ever set foot off of Middle Earth.

But then Ezra remembered his vision. And guilt washed over him. Yes, he wanted to see Lothal again, but he had also sworn an oath to Frodo. The people of Middle Earth needed their help. Ezra couldn't let them down. Yoda's words came back to haunt him.

 _Follow it, you must. If leave the path you do, then die everything else will. Including yourself._

 __

Ezra was beginning to realize the meaning of that dream. The more he thought about the land around him in the vision, the more it reminded him of Middle Earth. It was making sense. This _was_ the path that Yoda spoke of. And if he ever strayed from  
it, even for a moment, everything would fall apart around him. The quest to Mordor was his duty, as both a rebel and a member of the Fellowship.

Ezra opened his eyes, wondering how long he had been thinking. It felt like sometime had gone by, but he didn't know how much. He wouldn't be surprised if it had been a couple hours. Gandalf was still sitting in the same spot, staring at the three  
doors. A majority of the crew of _the Ghost_ , except for Zeb, Sabine, and Chopper, were still resting. The Lasat was sitting around the fire with the rest of the Fellowship while the Mandalorian was leaning against a stone wall, staring at the  
three pathways through her T-visor helmet.

Ezra spotted Frodo sitting close to the edge of the stairs they had climbed up earlier. That hobbit was always so distant. But the Jedi decided not to let him be distant this time, so he got up off the ground, walked over, and sat beside him. He gave  
Frodo a wave. The hobbit lightly smiled and waved back. But neither one of them said anything. Both the Halfling and the Jedi had various thoughts lingering in their mind.

So they simply watched the others and what they were doing. Aragorn and Gimli, no surprise, were smoking their pipes and just watching the fire. Boromir was sharpening his sword using a nearby rock. Sam was nibbling on a little biscuit left over from  
an earlier lunch. Legolas was just watching Gandalf, wondering what he was going to do. Zeb had his hand over his face, trying to cover his annoyed expressionof having to listen to Merry and Pippin mumble.

"Merry," Ezra heard Pippin whisper to his cousin.

"What?" Merry asked.

"I'm hungry," Pippin simply said.

Zeb's jaw clenched and he turned his head and whispered, "Pippin."

"What?" the hobbit asked.

"Shut up!" the Lasat hissed aggravatingly.

Ezra silently chuckled and shook his head as he listened to the squabbling. Frodo just simple smiled, although the Jedi could see he was kind of amused too. The hobbit then turned around and just stared at the restof Moria behind him. They had travelled  
a long way in these mines, and he couldn't believe they were so high up. Ezra looked at it too, but really didn't show how he felt about it. Mines were just mines to him.

Suddenly, Frodo's expression changed. Instead of looking relaxed, he now looked horrified. He quickly stood up and looked more closely at the way they had come. Ezra was confused and looked to where the hobbit was looking. But then he too froze and realized  
why his friend looked so worried. Far down the way they had come, there was something moving. And it wasn't fallingrocks. It looked small and very alive. Was it one of those Goblins? No, it looked too small and it didn't appear to be carrying  
any weapons. Ezra could tell, though, that it had hands and feet.

He watched as the thing creeped along the path and then abruptly dash behind some rocks. Ezra wondered if it thought they had spotted that was creepy enough for both the apprentice and Frodo to jump to their feet and rush up to Gandalf. Sabine  
rose a brow when they rushed past her and decided to follow.

"Ezra?" she asked quietly, tapping him on the shoulder, "What's wrong?"

Ezra looked at her and then pointed back at the mines, "There's something down there. It's small and _very_ creepy looking."

Gandalf, who was still staring the the doors, overheard them and replied, "It's Gollum."

Frodo's eyes went wide and heglanced back at the rocks that thing hadhid behind. Ezra and Sabine were as baffled.

"Gollum?"Ezra exclaimed in disbelief, "Isn't that the creature Bilbo stole the ring from?"

Gandalf nodded, "He's been following us for 3 days."

Well, that answered one of Ezra's questions. He couldn't believe that they had been in Moria for 3 days already.

Frodo couldn't believe what he was hearing, "He escaped the dungeons of Barad-Dur?!"

A frown came on the Grey wizard's face and he looked at the three of them, "Escaped...orwas set loose."

Ezra's brow furrowed and he held up a hand, "Wait. Set loose? Are you saying that Sauron _let_ him go?! Why would he do that?!"

Gandalf huffed, "Why does Sauron do anything? He always has a purpose for his actions. He would do anything to retrieve the ring, even use ones who have a strong connection to it." He then pointed back at the mines for a brief second, "More specifically,  
use the one person with a strong connection."

Ezra and Sabine looked back. Now the Mandalorian could see the shape of a small creature hiding behind the rocks, looking up at the Fellowship. Ezra thought he could slightly see Gollum's bulging eyes in the dark, but he couldn't make out the rest of  
his figure.

Sabine then looked at Gandalf confusedly, "The one person? I thought Bilbo would have a strong connection to the ring as well."

Gandalf shook his head, "That is both true and not true at the same time, Miss Wren. Yes, Bilbo has a strong connection to it. But the ring had only been in his possession for 60 years. Gollum, on the other hand, had it for 500."

500?! Was he serious?! Gollum had lived for 500 years?! How was that even-?! Ezra rethought on that. If Old Bilbo could live to be 111 and not look that old, then surely Gollum could get away with the same thing. The ring did delay old age, after all.  
Gandalf had said that himself back in Bag End.

"A connection like that can draw him anywhere the ring is," Gandalf continued, "And now the ring has drawn him here."

Ezra frowned and looked down. The ring could draw Gollum as it did with the black riders. How obsessed was this creature with it that he would come to Moria? What was his goal? Was he going to kill them all in their sleep and retrieve his precious ring?  
Ezra doubted that would be possible. 16 companions would be more than a match for such a small creature as Gollum.

He glanced back at the path, trying to see if he could get another look at the creature. Of course, he found no sign of him and figured he ducked behind the rocks again. But perhaps Ezra didn't have to see Gollum with his own eyes. Kanan had once taught  
him a rare trick with the Force. If you focused hard enough, you could see an individual up close. Ezra didn't know if it would work, but it was worth a shot.

He closed his eyes and bowed his head. Every other thought that was swimming around in his mindwas pushed to the back, and he concentrated on the creature. He pictured where he last saw him, and what his shape was. Ezra only hoped that he didn't  
lose focus. But then, he started to see something. He could make out several shapes. Some large, others small. But there was one shape in the middle of it all that was moving. Ezra focused harder, and the image began to become so much clearer. He  
now realized it was taking an 'almost' human form. He realized he was indeed seeing Gollum! Eventually, he got the full picture. He saw the creature hiding behind the rocks. When Ezra got a good look at him, it was a tiny bit horrifying.

Gollum wasn't all that he had expected. He imagined him as some ugly creature, yes, but this was far from ugly. More like _disgusting_ really. Gollum almost looked like a skeleton. A skeleton with a deformed body. What in the world had happened to  
him?! How did he end up like this?! Ezra almost had a bit of pity for the creature.

"He will never be rid of his need for it," Gandalf then said with a shake of his head, breaking Ezra's concentration, "He hates _and_ loves the ring. As he hates and loves himself." He then let out a deep sigh, leaned forward, and folded his hands,  
"Smeagol's life is a sad story."

Ezra turned his head. Smeagol? Who was Smeagol? But then his eyes went wide in realization. No. Surely Gandalf didn't mean-

The wizard looked at them, seeing that they all had the same expressions. He nodded sadly. "Yes, Smeagol was what he was once called. Before the ring found him." He looked forward again, "Before it drove him mad."

Ezra crossed his arms and then asked hesitantly, "Gandalf...what did Gollum used to look like? Before the ring?"

Gandalf looked at the apprentice, "You can see him, can't you?"

The young Jedi knew better than to lie to the old man and nodded. Gandalf knew he wouldn't ask such a question if he had not seen what Gollum looked like.

"Before he found the ring, he looked normal," the wizard said with a sigh, "he lived in a small corner of the world with a best friend and a grandmother." He glanced at Frodo, "He actually wasn't that far from a hobbit, really." Gandalf leaned his head  
on his hands as he continued, "They were fishing one day, Smeagol and his best friend Deagol. But then Deagol was accidentally pulled into the lake by a strong fish. While at the bottom of that lake, he spotted something. Something small and made  
of gold."

Sabine didn't need to guess what it was, "The ring."

Gandalf nodded, "Yes. So a curious Deagol pulled it out of the lake and brought it back to the surface. But when Smeagol found him and _saw_ the ring, he immediately developed a desire for it and proceeded to kill his own best friend so he could keep  
it." He shook his head again, "And as the years went by, the ring's affect on him began to show. He became a skinny deformed creature that forgot all the pleasant tastes of normal cooked food. He ate things raw, even fish from the sea."

Sabine's cheeks turned a bit green. That was honestly pretty disgusting, even for her.

"Eventually, he took the ring deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains," Gandalf went on, "And he fed on the Goblins hiding in there. Up to the day when a hobbit named _Baggins_ showed up."

Frodo's jaw clenched and he glared darkly at the spot where Gollum was hiding, "It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance."

Ezra and Sabine were taken by surprise at the hobbit's comment. That was kinda dark coming from him. And Gandalf seemed to agree with him because he gave his little friend a stunned look.

"Pity?" Gandalf replied, "It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, and many that die deserve life." He then frowned, "Can you give it to them, Frodo?"

Frodo's expression softened and he became lost in thought.

"Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement," Gandalf advised him, "Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill...before this is over." He then gave a shrug and then said,  
"The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many."

The Grey wizard made some pretty fair points. Even Ezra had to admit that some of his thoughts about Gollum had changed just a bit. He had never thought about killing the creature; that was definitely not the Jedi way. Hehad, however,thought  
about locking him up. But then after Gandalf's rather inspirational speech, he was reminded that Gollum never asked for any of this. He never asked to live forever, or become an outcast to the rest of his people. The ring basically ruined him, and  
it made Ezra feel very sorry for him.

The young Jedi closed his eyes again, trying to see what Gollum was doing. He saw him still hiding behind the rocks, watching them. But then, before Ezra was about to break focus, something happened. Gollum twirled around, as if startled by something  
from behind and scurried off. Ezra opened his eyes, confused by what just happened. What had he seen? Was there something else coming down the path? He eyed the mines suspiciously, trying to make out even the slightest hint of something else moving  
around.

Meanwhile, Frodo sat down next to Gandalf, his voice sounding heavy as he spoke, "I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."

Sabine placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, although she silently agreed with him. The Mandalorian wished the ring didn't even exist. It had caused so much problems for them already. What would happen next if it remained with them? Sabine didn't  
even comment, and just tried to show Frodo comfort.

Gandalf did the same, and said understandingly, "So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." He made Frodo look at him and gave a warm comforting smile,  
"There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the ring, in which case you also were _meant_ to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."

That was an interesting perspective that the wizard had, and Sabine had the strangest feeling that he was telling the truth. Perhaps there were other forces at work in the world. And maybe they were on their side. If that was the case, then maybe there  
was hope that they'd win in the coming war.

Gandalf's gaze then went to the pathway on the right and he suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! It's that way!"

When the Fellowship heard that, they all jumped to their feet, eagerly putting out the fire and gathering their belongings. It was about time he figured it out! Everybody was more than eager to get moving again. Sitting in the same spot for several hours  
got pretty boring.

"He's remembered!" Merry remarked.

"No," Gandalf replied with a smile as he stared at the path, "but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. And if in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

Zeb chuckled, "Not bad advice. I like the sound of it."

The Fellowship began to follow the wizard down the path. Well, all except for Ezra. The Jedi was still staring suspiciously at the path. He had a strange feeling that something was coming. Gollum had been scared off by something in that mine. So what  
was it?

Kanan stopped walking, sensing his apprentice was not moving, and glanced back at him.

"Ezra, you coming?" he asked.

Ezra didn't reply. The rest of the Fellowship stopped as well and looked back at the two Jedi. Kanan, sensing something was up, walked next to his apprentice, trying to see what he was thinking. Ezra paid him no mind. His eyes had become fixed on one  
particular spot of the path they had come. He saw something! A light. No wait, _two_ lights. Well, not even that either. More like rays of light. There was someone moving through the tunnel.

"I think we have company," he mumbled to the others.

Hera and the rest of _the Ghost_ crew walked up beside them to see what they were looking at. They froze when they realized Ezra was right. They could see the light coming closer. And...they also heard something. There was a clomping noise against  
the stone. Ezra rose a brow. Was that...booted feet? The crew exchanged confused glances and then stared hard at the corner the light was about to come around of.

When it happened, all seven of them got the biggest shock of their lives. They stepped back, shaking their heads repeatedly. The Fellowship wasn't sure what was bothering them. Two figures had come around the corner. Both of them were dressed in familiar  
white armor and were equipped with blasters!

"What the-?!" Ezra exclaimed, "Stormtroopers?!"

 **  
**

 ****

 ****

 ****


	30. Chapter 30

**Back with the next chapter, guys. :) Happy New Year, and I hopeyou all hada fantastic holiday season. :)**

* * *

****

**Chapter 29: UnfortunateFates**  
 **  
**

 ****

What were they seeing here?! Was it an hallucination?! Captain Rex thought he must be ill, because he could swear that those were Imperialstormtroopers down there. Same white junky armor, same sloppy blasters, and same cold personality. But it was  
impossible. They couldn't be stormtroopers, yet the clone was staring right at them. They were walking down the path towards their position.

Rex pressed a button on the side of his helmet, activating binocular mode. He zoomed in on the two troopers. The top of their blasters had search lights, and they were shining them at every dark corner they came across. But the good news was that they  
hadn't spotted them yet. Neitherof the stormtroopers were even looking up. They seemed to be talkingto each other, because Rex could hear faint muffled voices from far away.

"Everybody, get down!" Kanan hissed to the Fellowship as he dropped to the ground.

The crew of _the Ghost_ , along with the rest of the company, did as told. Although, none of the other nine companions had the slightest idea what was going on. Zeb, Hera, Sabine, and Rex took out their blasters and aimed at the stormtroopers. If those  
bucket heads even slightly looked up, all four would be more than happy to put laser bolts through their brains.

Rex leaned over to Kanan and whispered, "I don't think they'll get a good view of us yet from where they're at. But if those lights shine up here, then we're done for."

The Jedi Knight nodded, "Agreed."

"What is going on?!" Boromir demanded irritably. "What's down there that has all of you hiding?!"

Ezra snapped his head back and answered, "There's two stormtroopers down there!" He then glanced at Gandalf, and added, " _Imperial_ stormtroopers."

Both of the wizard's brows raised in shock. He, unlike the rest of them, knew exactly what the crew was talking about. And he understood their situation at once. These were soldiers from that 'Empire' that they had mentioned quite a few times. And if  
those stories were true, then Gandalf knew that the Fellowship wouldn't be safe up here.

Zeb focused his bo-rifle onone of the troopers' headand muttered with a growl, "I've got a clear shot. Do I take it?"

"No!" Gandalf snapped, making the crew and the others look at him. He pointed at the right door, "All of you, down the path! Quickly!"

"But I cantake both of them out!" Zeb insisted.

"No, he's right," Kanan answered, pushing the Lasat's bo-rifle down, "The blasters will create too much noise, and that'll attract moreunwanted attention."

Regretfully, the crew put away their blasters, knowing he was right. Gandalf then harshly beckoned the whole company to go down the stairs. The hobbits, who were most definitely not eager to meet the soldiers anytime soon, were the first to rush down.  
Gimli and Legolas were next, followed by Ezra, Aragorn, Boromir, Sabine, Hera, Chopper,Gandalf, Rex, and finally Kanan.

But then the Jedi stopped, and looked back up to the door. Rex and Gandalf saw that he wasn't coming and glanced at him. What was he doing? Kanan crept back up the stairs and crouched down, trying to hide himself in the shadows. They had to make haste  
if they didn't want to be found, so Rex wasn't getting why he was sitting around. Not only that, but he could already hear the troopers climbing up the stairs outside.

Both Rex and Gandalf looked at each other before creeping back up the stairs as well to where Kanan was hiding. The Jedi Knight signaled for them to lean against the wall and stay out of sight. They did as told, but were kind of growing desperate. If  
they didn't move deeper into the path by the time the troopers had finished climbing, they wouldn't be able to move at all without the risk of being seen.

Rex cleared his throat, "Um, what exactly do you have in mind, sir?"

Kanan shrugged, "Don't know. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what these two do."

That was not reassuring for the clone nor the wizard.

"Is this what you would calla normal plan from where you come from?" Gandalf asked Rex curiously.

The clone trooper smirked beneath his helmet, "When a Jedi's involved, this is _always_ the plan."

And he wasn't lying. A lot of the Jedi he had served in the Clone Wars had a habit of doing the unexpected. General Skywalker was the top Jedi on the list for foolish actions, said actions specifically being: Disobeying the Jedi Council, changing the  
battle plan, and charging head-on against the Seperatist Droid army.

The good old times, indeed.

Suddenly, all three froze when they heardfeet walking about their camp sight. Either those were the stormtroopers or the Goblins had finally decided to come out. Well, actually the second possibility didn't seem all that accurate to Rex so he was  
certain those were the stormtroopers. The more they listened, the sooner they were able to figure out that it was definitely booted feet up there.

It was times like these that a recon droid would've come in handy. Too bad Rex hadn'tbothered to bring any on _the Ghost_. There were actually several things that he regretted not bringing now. Although, in his defense, he didn't know they were  
going to get stranded on a planet with no tech. The galaxy was always so full of surprises, and definitely some that weren't welcome.

They then heard voices from above, and the clone could tell they were muffled. Every stormtrooper pretty much sounded the same, in his opinion. But now he was able to hear what they were saying.

"This area doesn't look right," he heard one trooper comment. "Something feels off."

The second one stayed quiet for a few seconds, but then said with a shrug, "Eh, looks normal to me."

The first stormtrooper tilted his head, "Did someone light a fire up here? I smell a slight hint of smoke."

Rex muttered something under his breath. He knew they should'nt have lighted a fire, although it had been very welcome at the time. Kanan's head was lowered and he just listened to the constant chattering. Gandalf's eyes were narrowed and he eyed the  
door, expecting to see the soldiers show up. If they saw them, the wizard had a few tricks that could take care of them.

The second trooper pointed at the left door, "It's probably coming from the pits. Those creatures have been cooking a lot, last I checked."

The first stormtrooper groaned, "What is itthis time?"

"Oh, you don't want to know," the second one advised, his voice sounding disgusted, "It looked like arms."

Rex tried not to picture that, but he couldn't help it. And it immediately made him shiver. What creatures were they talking about? Was it the Goblins? And if it was, how in all the galaxy did these two stormtroopers know about them? Come to think of  
it, the clone didn't hear any worry in their voices either. Were they even lost? There was something weird going on. None of this felt right to Rex.

The first stormtrooper pulled down on his helmet before saying biterly, "You're right. I don't want to know."

"That makes three of us," Rex muttered quietly, making sure they didn't hear him.

The second stormtrooper glanced back at the campsight and then walked up to the right entrance. Kanan, Rex, and Gandalf pressed themselves harder against the wall as he shined his light down the tunnel. The Jedi Knight had one hand on his lightsaber and  
the wizard slowly rose his staff. The clone already had his blasters pointed right up at the trooper. But as the light was moving closer to them, their hearts started pounding at a very unhealthy rate.

"Well, I suppose we should check this way again," the trooper suggested to his comrad.

The other soldier began to walk over, but that gave Kanan an idea. He looked at Rex, and gently pushed his guns down to the ground. He then signaled to wait before reaching out his hand towards the top of the stairs.

"Are you sure you should check again?" Kanan whispered, "There's never anything down there."

The first trooper instantly stopped and tilted his head, "Are you sure we should check again? There's never anything down there."

"Doesn't make a difference," the second answered, "Command wants a full perimeter sweep." But he thenlooked down the path again and stuttered, "Although...this kind of does give me the creeps."

Kanan smirked and then muttered with another wave of his hand, "Perhaps you should check the left one again. Make sure they're not causing trouble."

The first stormtrooper walked to the left entrance and pointed, "Perhaps we should check the left one again. Make sure they're not causing trouble."

The second stormtrooper eyed him confusedly. Well, at least it looked like he was confused. Rex could never tell anything with these guys, especially with the helmets. Oh how he hated stormtrooper armor. From his point of view, that garbage was nothing  
like clone armor.

There was still no response from the trooper, and it was making Rex worry. Was he becoming suspicious? Apparently, Kanan had the same fear because he waved his hand once more.

"That's a better idea. You better get moving then," he said.

Finally, the second stormtrooper nodded, "Yeah, that's a better idea. We better get moving then."

Neither of the troopers said another word and they walked down the left path. Kanan, Rex, and Gandalf sighed with relief. The wizard didn't even bother to ask how the Jedi did that. He had a feeling he already knew. This 'Force' continued to become more  
interesting. Rex put both his twin blasters back in his holsters and took off his helmet. That was another close one.

When they were confident the stormtroopers were out of hearing range, Gandalf beckoned Kanan and Rex to follow him down the tunnel. The three sped walked, although tried not to cause any commotion. The wizard lit up his staff again, making the tunnel  
more easier to see. Rex wondered how the rest of the Fellowship handled traveling in the dark, although Hera and Chopper had some tech that could provide a good source of light.

Then, when the three men turned a corner, they found the others waiting for them. They hadn't bothered to travel far without them. Ezra, Pippin,and Sabine were sitting down, but when they saw them walk up, they jumped to their feet. Rex could see  
that every member of the company was confused, specifically the crew of _the Ghost_.

Hera crossed her arms, "What happened up there?"

Kanan held up a reassuring hand, "Don't worry, I've taken care of them. I sent them down the left tunnel, and they'll be there for a while."

Zeb placed his hands on his hips and his jaw clenched, "May I ask a one-word question?" He pointed back up the tunnel, " _How_?!"

The rest of the crew looked over at Kanan with raised brows. They too, had the same question on their minds.

The Jedi Knight frowned, "I don't know," he glanced at Gandalf, "but it looks like you were right in suspecting that we might not be the only ones on this planet."

Gandalf nodded, but didn't reply.

Zeb placed one hand on his forehead, "I can understand maybe one or two people being here as well. But bucketheads?! How is that even possible?! And you can bet that those two aren't alone. There'sgotta be more of them."

"Zeb's right," Ezra agreed, still looking pretty baffled, "None of this adds up. What is the Empire even doing here?! There's no way they could've found out about this place! Surely the rebellion would've found out about it too."

The apprentice had a point. Rex was still very confused about what he had heard up there. Yes, those were definitely Imperial stormtroopers, but he didn't get how they seemed to handle going through the mines. It was like they knewthe place inside  
out.

Aragorn then spoke up, confusion in his voice, "Are you certain that these two enemies of yours aren't alone? Maybe they were the ones missing fromthat escape pod back on Caradhras."

"Oh they're not alone, I can promise you that," Rex replied, shattering everyone's spirits, "I heard them mention something about taking orders from command."

"So did I," Kanan sighed.

Sabine let out an aggravated groan, "Please don't tell me Agent Kallus is here too."

"Forget Kallus," scoffed Ezra with a shake of his head, "I'm more worried about Vader possiblybeing here."

"I don't know who's in charge," Kanan snapped, "But we won't find any answers by just sitting here. And right now, the Empire is none of our concern. Our main priority is getting _out_ of Moria."

Gandalf nodded, "Yes, and it is a good thing we chose this path. As far as I can tell, not many have journeyed down here, which might be a good advantage for us."

Zeb rose a brow at the wizard, "Do you know where this will lead?"

Gandalf smiled, "I actually might."

That was at least some good news. If the grey wizard knew where they were going, they'd most likely get out of these mines sooner than anticipated. Rex hoped for that at least. If the Empire discovered them here, trouble would arise, and Middle Earth  
would have more to fear than just Sauron. He had his 'Ringwraiths' and 'Orcs', but _they_ had stormtroopers and millions of weapons at their disposal. Rex didn't fear the soldiers too much, for their aim was sloppier compared to the clones, but  
they could still prove to be a tough enemy.

Boromir then spread out his arm and asked, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's get a move on."

And thus the Fellowship set off once again, although they were quieter this time, especially after knowing that they weren't the only ones here and that there definitely _were_ Goblins down the other paths. It had to be. Rex couldn't find any other  
thing that would fit the word 'creature'. Yes, Gandalf mentioned there being "older and fouler things", but Orcs and Goblins were the most obvious of beings to roam these tunnels.

Rex was actually amazed that they had travelled this far without being noticed. It had to have been a couple days. Being a clone trooper, he was better at figuring out the amount of time spentin one place. The war helped out a lot with that.

Rex was very glad to have his helmet on, though, because he didn't want anybody to see how bothered he looked. He couldn't believe that the Empire was actually here. They shouldn't have been here, and that was something the clone didn't get. None of the  
crew did. And Gandalf had apparently been told stories by Kanan about them and their tyranny, because fear and regret were written all over the old man's features. Nevertheless, it was good that they came to Moria. At least Rex thought so, because  
if they hadn't, who knows how long it would've taken for them to discover the Imperial presence here.

The other important question was: Where was their backup? They would've had to come to Moria by some advanced transportation, yet none of the company had seen a TIE fighter nor Star Destroyer fly overhead. They had seen nothing of the sort ever since  
they got on this planet. It just wasn't adding up, and it made Rex uneasy when wondering what else could just appear out of nowhere.

"Rex," Hera said all of a sudden, looking back at the clone as she was deep in thought, "are your scanners still working?"

Rex's brow furrowed, but he then nodded, "Yes, General Syndulla. Although, I haven't really found much use for them during our time here."

"How far are you able to scan?" the Twi'lek then asked.

The clone captain looked down at his wrist comm and tapped on a few buttons. It took a few seconds for him to finally answer, "A couple miles, I think. Why do you want to know?"

Hera nodded down at it, "I want you to turn it on and scan as much as you can of the mines. I'm not taking any chances of running into an Imperial squad."

Rex simply nodded without replying and did as instructed. He didn't expect to find anything down the path they were going, but knowing the Empire, they were always full of surprises. He then set up the wrist comm to alert him ifany lifeforms, besides  
the Fellowship, werenearby.

Pippin glanced nervously back at the crew, "So...your enemies definitely are here in Middle Earth?"

Hera closedher eyes, not sure what to say. They had assured them not too long ago that there was no possible way of the Empire being here, unless the rebel fleet was able to find their way here. But there was no way to reassure the hobbits that  
everything was fine, so the crew knew they had to say the truth.

Hera sadly nodded, "It looks that way."

Zeb grumbled to himself, "Who else would be walking around, wearing those buckets?"

Chopper then let out a couple beeps and pointed at Ezra. The apprentice just rolled his eyes.

Zeb glared at the astromech and growled, "I'm talking about people that _aren't_ with us, dummy!"

Legolas then turned his head, confused, "Wait. You're saying they actually _wear_ buckets?"

Ezra and Sabine bit their lips, trying not to laugh. They didn't want to offend the elf.

"What?!" Zeb exclaimed, "No no no. That wasn't what I meant. I was referring to their helmets. That's a little nickname I gave em."

Legolas eyed the Lasat weirdly and then mused, "That's a rather...interesting nickname for a helmet."

Rex then grunted, "Interesting but true."

Pippin didn't look so amused. He was more of a nervous wreck really. "You said they were dangerous. What exactly do they do?"

Rex noticed Ezra's fists clench, and knew that question touched a nerve. During all the time of fighting for the rebellion, the clone always noticed a sad spot in the kid's heart. He, of all the people in the galaxy, knew exactly what the Empire was capable  
of. Ezra had spoken about little pieces of it once or twice. The rebellion hated the Empire, but Rex could see that the apprentice hated it more.

"Pretty much anything you can think of," Ezra replied biterly, "Slaughter, enslavement, imprisonment; All of it. They take away things from you." His grip tightened, "Things that you love. And when you try to fight back, you're thrown in prison for treason."

The hobbit let those words sink in. At the same time, he both felt bad for asking that question and bothering the young Jedi andalso felt even more worried about this Empire.

Legolas frowned and slowly nodded, "And now they've come here, to do the exact same thing to Middle Earth."

Hera shook her head uncertainly, "We're not exactly sure how or why the Empire came here. But if it is to take over this planet, then I promise all of you that we will do everything in our power to not let it happen."

Maybe that would be enough, but who knows. As far as Rex knew, it was impossible to prevent the Imperial forces from occupying whatever world they even the rebellion could do that. They learned that the hard way a while back when the Empire  
drove them out of their hidden base on Garel.

"Maybe they already have," Kanan suddenly muttered, his head lowered and his arms crossed, "but we just didn't know it."

Hera looked at her Jedi comrad, "What do you mean, Kanan?"

"I heard them talking," he replied, "And they seemed really odd."

"Odd how?" asked Sabine.

Kanan shrugged, but couldn't hide his concern, "They didn't sound...confused. Remember our first reactions when we came to Middle Earth? One, we had no memory at all of how we got here, and things only became far more difficult after we discovered the  
planet had no technology. Yet, these stormtroopers didn't sound the least bit bothered by _anything_. It felt like they knew where they were and what they were doing. Heck, they even seem to know their way through Moria!"

Rex immediately nodded and snapped his fingers, "I was hoping I wasn't the only one who felt that way! I noticed it too."

Zeb looked at the two menback and forth with a raised brow, "So, what're you saying? Are you thinking the Empire could've possibly been here longer than us?"

Kanan nodded, "It's possible."

Aragorn, who had apparently been listening as well, turned around and shook his head, "That's impossible. If your enemies had taken over Middle Earth, we would've known about it. There has never been any word about these 'stormtroopers' roaming across  
the lands."

"Aragorn, even Gandalf was beginning to suspect the same thing," Kanan answered the ranger, "He told me that it was very possible that me and my crew were not the first ones to arrive here. I know the Elves are able to see many things, but they failed  
to see a tenthblack rider appear as well as a mysterious masked man align himself with the enemy. And I find it very peculiar that they just now reveal themselves rightwhen Sauron's plans are set in motion."

The Jedi had a fair point, Aragorn had to agree with that. Yet, he could never really picture anything slipping by the eyes of the Elves. Yes, they had not seen Sauron's return for some time, but that didn't mean the Dark Lord had been invisible to the  
rest of the world. It was Radagast the Brown, the fifth wizard of Gandalf's order, that discovered Sauron posing as a mysterious sorcerer called the Necromancer in the ruins of Dol Guldur.

"How could this have not been seen by the Elves?" Aragorn asked worriedly, "What could've blocked their vision?"

More questions that were hard to answer. Rex wished he knew why, but he wasn't too big on things like the Force or any other type of magic. Ezra though, all of a sudden had a possible idea. And it made him feel a bit uneasy. Rex could tell by the look  
in the young Jedi's eye.

"Kanan," Ezra said hesitantly, "d-do you think it could be the Dark Side?"

The Jedi Knight turned his head towards his padawan for a second and thought about his question. But all he could do was shake his head and shrug, "I don't know, Ezra."

Hera placed a firm hand on both of the Jedi's' shoulders and gave them a hard look, "Dark Side or no Dark Side, we still have a job to do. I don't know what's going on, but if the Empire is here to pick a fight, then by all means we'll give them just  
that. We've done it before." She then lightly squeezed their shoulders, "And this shouldn't take our minds away from the most important thing. We made a promise to Frodo to protect him. As long as we do that, I know we'll make it through. We are not  
only members of a Fellowship, but we arealso rebels. We have been for a very long time. And they can try and take away this beautiful world over my dead body."

The crew of _the Ghost_ let that sink into their hearts. They knew Hera was right. This was not a time for questions because at this point there would be no answers. They had been away from their own galaxy for so long, and as difficult as it was  
to accept, they knew that there would definitely be more surprises in the future. There was no use griping about it nor dreading about it. Dark times were coming. And if in some bizarre twisted way, there was a cross between the Dark Side and the  
dark powers of Mordor, then so be it. They had battled darkness for so long, and they had still come out on top. No point in wondering if that'd change now.

The Fellowship didn't walk for too awful long until Gandalf suddenly halted. Rex looked up ahead to see another wide open area completely surrounded by darkness. They could only see slight glimpses of large shapes in the distance. It kind of did look  
a little creepy. No wonder the stormtroopers were too fond of the idea of coming down here. However, Gandalf didn't look too bothered. There was a slight hint of a smile on his face, which was quite a surprise considering that the company hadn't  
seen him smile as much ever since they entered the mines.

Before he did anything else, though, Rex stepped up beside him and scanned the whole open area. If there was any place in this whole kingdom where things could be lurking, then it'd probably be this place. But to the clone's surprise, his scanners were  
picking up nothing. The area was completely empty of any lifeforms.

Rex nodded to the wizard, "No sign of anything. I believe we're good for now."

Gandalf stepped forward and lifted up his staff, "Then let me risk a little more light."

A couple members of the Fellowship sighed with relief. They didn't really want to travel in the dark in a place like this, wherever they may be. But when the Grey wizard brightened his staff, they all suddenly became awestruck. With a good amount of light  
now surrounding them, they realized this place wasn't as bad as it appeared. It was actually astonishing! Even the hobbits perked up at the sight of it. Rex removed his helmet just so he could get a better look at it.

They were gazing upon massive stone pillars that went on for miles and miles in the hugest open area they had ever seen. It looked like it could've been a city. Several designs ran across the pillars that added on to their amazing look.

Gandalf waved his hand around, "Behold the great realm and dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."

They were right about it being a city.

"Now there's an eye-opener and no mistake," Sam remarked in awe.

Everybody silently agreed with him. It was indeed an eye-opener, and something that once again made Rex reconsider his admiration of the skyscrapers on Coruscant. No matter how far they went, this planet continued to surprise the clone in many pleasant  
ways. There was just something about everything here that got him. Something that he had never quite felt before with other systems across the galaxy. Being a clone veteran, it would usually be impossible for something to impress him this much, yet  
here they were.

Gandalf looked back at the Fellowship, smiled, and waved them forward. There was nothing to fear here. At least for now. And they did follow him, without even hesitating. Once they got close enough to a pillar, Ezra ran his hand along the side of it,  
feeling the smooth cold stone against his skin. These pillars had to be almost centuries years old. He was actually becoming more and more impressed with the artwork of the Dwarves.

Of course, Gimli was beaming. Oh he knew this place all too well. This was the real home of his cousin, Balin. However, the dwarf was also confused about something. He had heard Rex say that there were no lifeforms here in Dwarrowdelf. But this was where  
Balin should've been. And if he wasn't here, then where was he?Obviously, none of the others knew this was his cousin's home, except for Gandalf of course.

Sabine had a huge grin on her face. This place was now officially screaming art. The Mandalorian couldn't take her eyes off the pillars.

She leaned over to Ezra and whispered, "I don't care if these are mines. This place is amazing!"

Gimli heard her and let out a huge triumphant laugh, "Ha! What did I tell you, lass?! Did I not tell you that the true beauty of art was in stone?!" He pointed his axe all around him, "Well here we are!"

Sabine smiled and nodded with a little laugh, "It is very impressive indeed, Gimli."

Gimli kept in chuckling as he began to talk again, "Oh, the stories I could tell about this place-"

Zeb groaned and muttered, "Karabast, not another story."

"-so much history," the dwarf continued, not even hearing the Lasat, "I wish I had been old enough to see all the great battles that occurred in these mines. Of course, my cousin, Balin, must've seen one or two during his younger days."

Legolas thought for a second, "I do not know much about the history of you dwarves, but I think I do remember hearing a story about your cousin fighting alongside King Thror as they tried to reclaim Moria from Azog the Defiler."

Gimli rose a brow at the Elf, "Well, there's a mind inside that head of yours after all."

He didn't see Legolas shoot him a dark glare at that comment.

Ezra blinked, "Azog the what?"

"Azog the Defiler!" Gimli huffed, "Curse his name. He was one of the most violent Orcs to roam the lands of Middle Earth. Most of us dwarves called him 'The Pale Orc.'"

Sabine tilted her head in interest, "Why do they call him that?"

Gimli shrugged, although he seemed a bit irritated, "As far as I know, he was, in fact, _pale_. He had sworn to wipe out the line of Durin." He shook his head in pity, "And he did. King Thror, he beheaded. His son, Thrain, he took prisoner or killed.  
And during the Battle of Five Armies, one of the biggest battles for all Durin's folk along with Men and Elves, he killed Thorin Oakenshield. But that also led Azog to his death at the same time. Thorin had managed to send his sword right through  
that filth's chest!"

Ezra looked a bit disgusted after hearing that story. He wasn't very fond of the parts about beheading and sending a blade through the chest.

"Ah," Rex commented, "so that's why Thorin had only been King for a couple days."

Gimli nodded, "Unfortunatley yes. Balin spoke a lot about him when we got the chance to see each other. He always told me of how great a leader he-"

The dwarf suddenly stopped talking. His eyes were turned towards the right wall of the city. The Fellowship looked at him, confused, and looked over as well. They saw a small wooden door at the center of the wall. Rex would've asked Gimli why he had such  
a horrified look on his face, but then he saw that the door was slightly open, and several dead bodies were laying inside.

Gimli let out a sudden shout and without warning began running towards the door.

"Gimli!" Gandalf called after the dwarf.

Gimli did not listen to any of the wizard's shouts and ran right through the wooden doors. The _Ghost_ crew exchanged glances. What had gotten into him?

"Gimli?!" Ezra then shouted.

But when there was once again no reply, the young apprentice decided to run after him. Kanan was about to call him back, but Hera advised to let him go see what was wrong. And while the rest of the Fellowship slowly made their way to the door, Ezra already  
ran through it. But then he stopped when he saw Gimli kneeling before something. They were standing in a smaller room, where there was a slight ray of sunlight shining down upon where the dwarf was kneeling before.

The Jedi couldn't quite figure out what it was. At first glance, it looked like some kind of stone table with runes written on top of it. He noticed there were dead skeletons laying all around the table, and Ezra figured that this place must've been where  
the most brutal fight occurred. But what had Gimli so upset?

The dwarf kept on shaking his head in disbelief, "No. No." He then laidhis helmeted head on top of the table and began to weep, "No."

Ezra walked up to get a closer look at the table, but when he traced his hand on top of it, he felt something. There was something beneath this table. His eyes suddenly widened. Was this...a tomb? There was definitely a corpse beneath here. He could  
sense a cold dead presence. But if this was who he thought it was...

"Oh no," Ezra muttered, both sad and surprised.

The Fellowship walked in, finding the two individuals standing beside the tomb. Although, they didn't quite realize it was a tomb until they walked up toit. When Gandalf got a good look at it, he closed his eyes in regret.

" _Here lies Balin, Son of Fundin, Lord of Moria_ ," the wizard read with a sad sigh.

They immediately understood, and a majority of them lowered their heads in respect. Rex felt for poor Gimli. And he could see the grief and despair all over the dwarf's bearded face. Boromir placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and just gently patted  
it.

Gandalf removed his hat from his head and handed it, along with his staff, to Pippin. The hobbit confusedly took them, and had no idea of what to do _with_ them.

"He is dead, then," Gandalf mumbled, "It is as I feared."

Gimli's wailing became louder and he crumpled further down onto the ground. Even Sabine couldn't hold back some of her tears. She couldn't blame the dwarf for being in such grief. He had just learned that his dearest cousin was killed. Oh how she hated  
death. Rex did as well, and couldn't help but develop dark thoughts against the Orcs and Goblins. They had to have been the ones behind this.

Kanan was at a loss for words. He didn't know what he could say. All that he felt in this place was darkness. So much bloodshed. So many deaths. There was no denying that none of the dwarves within Moria survived this vicious attack. If Balin was dead,  
there was no hope for the others to have done any better. Kanan just bowed his head, showing respect to this fallen dwarf lord. Master Yoda had always taught him that death was a natural part of life, but none of these innocent beings deserved it  
so soon. They should've had the privilege of living until they grew old and died normally. For someone to take their life away, though, that was pure evil. It was one of the greatest works of the Dark Side.

Hera shook her head, not even bothering to hide her sorrow, "I can't believe he's dead." She gave a sad look at the weeping dwarf, "Gimli deserved to have at least seenhis cousin one last time."

"It couldn't have been helped,Hera," Kanan replied sympathetically, "This had to have happened some time ago, judging by the appearance of these corpses. There was nothing anybody could've done."

Hera nodded, but her lips thenpursed and she clenched her fists, "No matter where we go on this planet, there's always something with Sauron's handiwork involved."

The hobbits looked at the tomb, placing their hands on it and not saying a word. Bilbo had also told Frodo a lot about his friendship with Balin during the quest to take back the Lonely Mountain. And now he was gone, just like Thorin Oakenshield. Frodo  
didn't have the heart to tell his uncle about this, but he would have to find out eventually. _All_ of Middle Earth would need to know about Balin's passing. Frodo was just glad that they weren't traveling back home yet, so the knowledge of the  
old dwarf's death would have to be told after this quest was complete.

Eventually, Gimli's cries stopped, and all he could do was stare mournfully at the tomb. He couldn't speak a word, for the grief was too much to bare. The crew was surprised to find Chopper low in spirits at seeing the tomb. The droid could usually care  
less about such things, but his domed head was lowered and he made some quiet beeps. Zeb wasn't too fond of dwarves, but as the Lasat looked at all the dead around him, not even he would wish such a fate to happen to these people.

Boromir was right. Moria wasn't much of a mine anymore. It actually was a tomb. This once great kingdom was now nothing more than an empty graveyard, covered with the bones of the fallen. Zeb all of a sudden felt something under his foot. When he looked  
down, he realized he was standing on a leg. He quickly took his foot off it and took a couple steps back.

"Sorry," Zeb whispered apologeticallyto the dead body.

Gandalf looked down at said body and rose a curious brow. He saw its bony arms wrapped around a very old-looking book. The wizard then knelt down, carefully set the dwarf's arms down on his sides, and picked up the book. It was old indeed, because a couple  
pages accidentally fell out of it. Gandalf blew off the dust on it and then opened it up, looking through the remainingpages. The Fellowship perked up and watched him as he skimmed through the book.

"This must be the Chamber of Mazarbul, the Chamber of Records," Gandalf realized. His eyes narrowed when he looked at a couple pages, "I cannot read most of this, but it looks like this book contains the records of the dwarves that came back with Balin  
and reentered the mines."

Ezra rose a brow, "The Dwarves actually had diaries?"

Pippin blinked confusedly, "What's a diary?"

Ezra tilted his head, trying to think of a good explanation, "You know...I diary. It's something that some people have and they write down days about their life."

"This is not exactly the same thing, Master Bridger," Gandalf answered with a small chuckle, "but I can understand the confusion. This book only goes on for a couple years." He then turned to the last page and his expression slightly darkened, "Ah, here  
we are. This was the last thing ever written by the dwarves before their passing."

Pippin, still holding the wizard's hat and staff, wasn't really paying attention to what they were all saying. Instead, he was looking around the chamber, slightly creeped out by the number of skeletons.

Legolas had grown slightly nervous all of the sudden and walked up to Aragorn, whispering, "We must move on. We cannot linger."

"Hey," Rex said to the Elf, holding up a hand, "it's alright. There's nothing to worry about right now. My scanners are still not picking up anything around here."

"But how can you be certain if that is reliable?" Legolas questioned.

Rex had never been asked a question like that before. Well, come to think of it, the clone had never been on a planet that didn't knowtechnology before.

"It...just is," Rex was only able to say.

That, of course, didn't convince Legolas. He looked over at Gandalf impatiently, and strangely growing more nervous every second.

The wizard began to read what he could of the book, " _They have taken the Bridge and the second hall. We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground . Drums in the deep._ "

That sent a chill up everyone's spine. Pippin began walking backwards, looking around him.

Gandalf read on, " _We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark_."

The Fellowship looked around nervously. They didn't know why, but the more the wizard read the book, the more fear anddread they had in their hearts. Pippin suddenly looked behind him and noticed a well. On top said well, sata skeleton, holding  
chains.

" _We cannot get out_ ," Gandalf read. He then looked up at the others as he read the last sentence, " _They are coming_."

Suddenly, everybody jumped in horror when a loud clanging noise filled the air. They twirled around and saw that Pippin had touched the skeleton sitting on the well. But when he had done so, that resulted in its head falling off and down said well. The  
hobbit turned around to face them, a bit pale in the face and regreting what he did.

To make matters worse, the skeleton'swhole body, along with the chains, suddenly fell down as well, creating an even louder noise. It went down who knows how far, and every time it hit something, it sent very loud echoes through all of Moria. Pippin  
closed his eyes in shame every time he heard a booming noise from the well. But finally, it stopped.

"Oh, Karabast," Zeb muttered, holding his breath in fear.

All of the Fellowship were holding their breaths. They expected to hear something in response to that. But after waiting a couple seconds, they heard nothing. Finally, they all sighed with relief.

Gandalf furiously closed the book and retrieved his hat and staff from Pippin, "Fool of a Took! Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

Ezra frowned at the old man's back. That was honestly kind of harsh. Yes, Pippin was a master at clumsiness, but he didn't deserve to be scolded. Although, he was about to get after the hobbit himself before Gandalf did. What was he thinking?! They all  
knew there were others in these mines, and if they had heard that-!

 _Boom!_

 __

Everybody froze. Oh they all heard that alright. But they were hoping that wasn't what they thought it was.

 _Boom!_

 __

All eyes slowly looked over at the well, for that was where the noise was coming from. Those definitely sounded like drum beats. All that relief was washed away and once again replaced by fear.

 _Boom! Boom!_

After the last boom, there was suddenly tons of loud screeches down below. Not black rider screeches; the crew of _the Ghost_ and the hobbits would've known that noise. These screeches were not as bad, but still terrifying all the same. And the drums  
began to beat much faster. Pretty much every member of the company had gone pale and they could hear the clompingof thousands of feet from down below.

"Mr. Frodo!" Sam exclaimed, pointing down at his friend's side.

Frodo looked down and realized Sam was pointing at the sword Bilbo had given him. 'Sting', Ezra believed it was called. The hobbit removed the little sword from his sheath and stared. It was glowing blue! Ezra then remembered what Bilbo had said to his  
nephew before they left.

 _The blade glows blue when Orcs are close._

 __

If the sword was glowing blue, then that only meant-!

Legolas had the exact same thought and said it before the apprentice could.

"Orcs!" 

* * *

**And thus we get to the fight out of Moria. :) A little heads up, the next couple chapters will be a bit shorter than my previous chapters. Basically, there will be a lot of fighting, so that's why. lol. I hope you guys understand though. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. :) I'll be back with the next one hopefully very soon. lol :)**


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 30: Battle in Balin's Tomb**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

The next few seconds, chaos happened. And the enemy wasn't even at the door yet. But they were coming, and there was a lot of them. Boromir and Rex rushed to the door to look around for any sign of them. They got their answer immediately as two arrows  
all of a sudden shot past them and stuck onto the door. Both the Gondorian and the clone nodded to each other and they hurriedlytried to force the door closed.

"They're here!" Rex shouted to the others.

Legolas took out his bow while Hera, Sabine, and Zeb took out their blasters. The hobbits were now panicking. They knew exactly what was coming. Bilbo had told them a lot about the Orcs and Goblins he encountered on his adventures, but now they were going  
to actually meet some. And it was horrifying.

Ezra and Kanan took out their lightsabers, but didn't activate the laser blades yet. They rushed up beside Gandalf, and just waited.

Aragorn looked over to the four hobbits and ordered, "Get back! Stay close to Gandalf!"

They didn't hesitate, and immediately ran behind the wizard. Gandalf stood in front of them and put his arms around them. A lot good it would do though. Aragorn rushed up to helpBoromir and Rex close the door all the way. The entire Fellowship could  
hear the Orcs getting closer. They were most definitely in Dwarrowdelf by now.

"Wow," Sabine mused, trying to not sound nervous, "This journey has just gotten way more interesting."

Zeb shot her an annoyed look, "You think?"

Chopper kept on shaking his domed head and was letting out several grumbles. As far as Ezra could tell, the droid was basically protesting what they were about to do. And Hera kept on arguing with him to stay put. When Chopper realized that no one was  
paying attention to him, he decided that it was every droid for itself. So he rolled away and went up a stairway within the chamber.

"Chopper!"Hera snapped, "Getback here now!"

The astromech didn't respond and just hid behind a wall. The Twi'lek captain rolled her eyes.

Zeb growled, "That filthy rustbucket'sditching us!"

"Just forget about him!" Hera answered harshly, and then looked at the rest of her crew, "Now all of you get ready!"

Ezra shakingly activated his lightsaber, his heart pounding like crazy, "Oh, I have a really bad feeling about this."

"It'll be alright, Ezra," Kanan reassured his apprentice as he activated his own lightsaber, "We've dealt with a lot of terrible things, this is no exception."

The young Jedi let out a sarcastic laugh, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Kanan."

Aragorn, Boromir, and Rex heaved with all their might, and finally pulled the door shut. The wood was so old that it was difficult to pull. But as soon as it was shut, there was a monsterous roar that made all of _the Ghost_ crew's eyes go wide. That  
was no Orc screech.

"What the heck was that?!" Rex horrifically exclaimed.

Boromir seemed to know that sound, as well as Aragorn. Both men had an aggravated frown on their faces.

The Gondorian let out a slight groan, "They have a cave troll."

This day just got better and better. Everybody was now _really_ worried. All the locals of Middle Earth knew cave trollstoo well. The crew of _the Ghost_ and the four hobbits had only seen the statues of the three trolls Bilbo encountered  
back in Trollshaw Forest. And they had looked very big. So after hearing that there was an actual _living_ troll right behind that door with the Orcs, of course they would be worried.

Gandalf dropped his hat onto the ground and unsheathed his own sword. When they had been traveling a while back, he said that the blade was called 'Glamdring the Foe Hammer.' The wizard also had his staff at the ready.

Rex, Boromir, and Aragorn backed away from the door. And a few seconds later, they could hear the Orcs chopping at the wood outside. They were trying to break and Ezra pointed their lightsabers at the door. The moment it fell, both Jedi  
would charge right at them. Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin unsheathed their small swords, but unfortunately their hands were shaking like crazy.

Legolas attached and arrow to his bow and pointed it at the door, one eye closed. Gimli had surprisingly put his grief aside for nowand picked up his axe. The dwarf was now furious and Ezra could see bloodlust in his eyes. Gimli then jumped on top  
of his cousin's tomb and turned towards the door.

"Agh!" the dwarf snarled, "Let them come! There's one dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

Ezra couldn't help but smirk at the dwarf's courage. Gimli sometimes reminded him of Zeb, except shorter and carrying an axe around everywhere. The Lasat was more of a bo-rifle person.

Aragorn took out a bow as well and stood at the ready with Legolas. They could all hear that wood starting to weaken. Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and Rex knelt down and aimed at the door. They would provide cover fire if the enemy was too much for the ranger and  
Elf to handle. And these Orcs were already in for a surprise. They had yet to meet a group of rebels with far more advanced weapons than they had.

Nobody could breath. Each second, there was a hack at the door. Their eyes were completely fixed on it. They knew what was about to happen. They had it lucky when they first set out from Rivendell, but now the real fight was about to begin. Both Ezra  
and Kanan begged the Force that they would survive this.

It finally happened. Sabine slightly jumped when she saw a sword poke through the door and create a small hole. It wasn't gonna hold for much longer. Every member of the company clenched their fists, counting down the seconds before battle began.

When there was a big enough hole in the door, Legolas fired his arrow. It was a definite hit. They heard a yelp of pain from one of the Orcs outside. Aragorn followed suite and fired his arrow. They heard another Orc get hit. Ezra figured they were probably  
making the enemy angry now. Legolas readied another arrow and fires again. Another hit, but this time the door broke open. And in came the Orcs.

Ezra felt like he was in some sort of nightmare. These things were hideous. There were big ones, small ones, and they either had green or grey slimy skin. Their teeth were all yellow and crooked, and the young apprentice thought he could see slight hints  
of blood running down the corners of their mouths.

Aragorn shot one more arrow at the swarm and then dropped it an unsheathed his sword. Right when he did so, they were upon them. The four _Ghost_ crew members opened fire, their laser bolts taking out four Orcs at once. Aragorn and Boromir went head  
on against them, swinging their swords at any creature that came near them. Some of the Orcs tried to block the blows with their own swords, but they were no match for neither the ranger nor the Gondorian.

However, the two men weren't enough to keep the enemy from passing, and a lot of the vile creatures went charging towards the rest of the Fellowship. Gimli leapt off his cousin's tomb and brought his axe down upon an unsuspecting Orc's head. Hera, Sabine,  
Zeb, and Rex rose to their feet and began backing up. They tried with all their might to blast the Orcs away, but they were so fast. Ezra and Kanan saw that they were being overwhelmed, and rushed over to help them. One Orc gnashed it's teeth at Hera  
and Sabine and licked it's bloody lips. But then his expression turned into horror when he gazed upon the Jedi's' laser blades. Ezra immediately sent his lightsaber right through its chest, killing it instantly.

Kanan beheaded the next group of Orcs with just one swing and used the Force to push the rest back into the crowd. Both master and apprentice stood side by side in front of their comrades, and swung at anything that came their way. Saying there were a  
lot of Orcs was an understatement. There were _hundreds_ of them! And they just kept on pouring in. Finally, Gandalf led the hobbits into the fray. It took some encouragement, but the Halflings finally felt brave enough to help out. And Zeb was  
a bit bemused by their fury.

Aragorn and Boromir were the ones who fought closer to the door. The ranger sent his blade into one chest after another. One Orc was right up to his face that he had no choice but to behead it. Boromir used his shield for cover as the Orcs kept on viciously  
swinging their blades at him. When they got the slightest bit sidetracked, he pounced. He went for the leg of one, lopped off the heads of two others, stabbed through the abdomen of another, and continued this pattern back and forth. The Gondorian  
did not fear these Orcs and he never would.

Legolas retreated to higher ground, although maybe once or twice used an arrow to stab an Orc coming up the stairs. Ezra was becoming impressed with this guy's archery. Although a blaster was a far more effective weapon, in his mind. Gimli was all over  
the place. Being a tad bit short had some advantages. He jumped onto one Orc's back, forced him onto the ground, and then swung his axe. The dwarf kept on ducking swords left and right. But he used that as an advantage to swing his axe at their disgusting  
legs. The Orcs didn't even know what hit them. Ezra and Sabine had to laugh when they heard Gimli grufflyshouting a ton of insults at his enemies.

Poor Sam lost his sword when he got trampled over by Orcs, although thankfully saved by Gandalf. So the hobbit had to use his frying pan to do most of the damage. He actually kind of enjoying bopping the creatures on the head. Merry and Pippin stayed  
closer to Frodo, and ran to higher ground with Legolas. They found some sharp rocks nearby and threw them at the enemy.

Zeb looked at them in disbelief, "Oh you've got to be joking!"

"Zeb, on your left!" Kanan shrieked.

The Lasat turned and barely missed an Orc's sword from chopping his head off. But he failed to miss the creature punching him square in the face. Zeb stumbled back and felt his cheek. However, the pain only lasted for a second and was replaced by anger.  
He then popped his knuckles and turned his bo-rifle into a shock stick.

"You want some pain, ugly?!" Zeb roared, "I'll give ya pain!"

He first swung his stick at the Orc's wrist, disarming him. And then the baffled creature stepped away. But Zeb just grinned and sent his staff right at him. The Orc shook as he was electrocuted, and then fell to the ground. The Lasat huffed in triumph  
for a mere second, and then quickly turned his shock stick back into a bo-rifle and shot an Orc behind him square in the head.

Ezra frowned at him, "Showoff."

Zeb smirked at him, "At least I don't cheat by using a lightsaber."

Ezra's jaw dropped, "I'm not cheating! I'm a Jedi! There's a difference."

Zeb just rolled his eyes and nodded his head, "Yeah yeah yeah. Whatever."

"Um guys?" Sabine said to both of them, "Can you argue about this later? We are in the middle of a battle right now, in case you haven't noticed!"

The apprentice and the Lasat looked at each other, then abrubtly killed two Orcs coming right beside them. With that, they turned and smirked at the Mandalorian.

"Yep," Ezra nodded with a smile.

"Not a problem," added Zeb, grinning widley.

Sabine just groaned in aggravation and then shot at three Orcs. Meanwhile, Kanan was cornered by five of the creatures, who were hissing like madmen. But then the Jedi had them where he wanted them. Without warning, he flipped backwards onto higher ground,  
reached out with the Force, and brought a huge stone down on top of the Orcs. When he was certain that they were dead, he used that same stone, and sent it at a crowd of creatures who were fightingGandalf and Gimli. The wizard and the dwarf  
looked behind them, bewildered at seeing most of the Orcs crushed. But then they saw Kanan and knew what had happened. The three nodded their thanks and continued fighting.

Rex proved to be the top member of the crew toget his hands dirty. He shot his twin blastersall around him. He shot one Orc in the head, another in the stomach, another in the leg, and even one in the foot. And also, for a clone, fists were  
the greatestallies. He even proceeded to put one blaster back in its holster and punch some of the Orcs square in the jaw before shooting them. And he didn't need the Force to warn him about any incoming threats. If his scanner detected anything  
heading his way, he rolled on the ground, swung around, and fired. Rex didn't want to brag, but he loved this! Even though the Orcs were the most ugliest creatures he had ever seen.

Rex and Kanan then met back up with the rest of _the Ghost_ crew and just watched the fight taking place around them.

"They're not gonna stop coming, are they?" Rex simply said.

Sabine rose both of her brows, even though the others couldn't see her beneath her helmet, "Well, it is a huge kingdom, so no."

Ezra just grinned and then looked back at the battle. But then, when he looked over at the door, his smile faded.

"And guess what's coming in with them," he muttered, pointing at the door.

 _The Ghost_ crew followed his gaze and felt the exact same way he was. Coming through the crowd of Orcs, blasters at the ready, was a squadron of stormtroopers. But they hadn't spotted the crew yet. Unfortunately, though, they saw the other members  
of the Fellowship and began shooting at them. Aragorn and Boromir, who were suddenly started by one of the laser hitting the wall, ducked for cover. Gandalf and Gimli moved their way behind a group of Orcs and continued to fight them from there. The  
stormtroopers were having a difficult time moving around too much though, because so many of the creatures were blocking their way. Yet, Ezra was surprised to see them not shoot the Orcs.

Hera ordered everybody to duck behind Balin's tomb and then hissed, "We need to get to higher ground now!"

Ezra looked at her, confusedly, "But won't they spot us?"

"They're too focused on the others," Hera answered, "Don't worry, they'll have a hard time trying to get to them. So we'll use that time to take them by surprise."

Kanan nodded in agreement, "A good plan. But I think Ezra and me will be of better use here on the ground. Maybe we can take a couple of them out that way."

"Fine," Hera nodded, and then looked at Rex, Sabine, and Zeb, "but you three, with me."

They nodded and followed the Twi'lek up the stairs. Kanan and Ezra, meanwhile, returned to the battle, slashing as many Orcs as they could.

The stormtroopers were looking around the chamber, trying to see who else was in there. They saw the two grufflooking men. And they did see an older gentleman and a short guy, but there had to be more than that to summon this much forces here. The  
Orcs kept on getting in the way, which was agitating them a lot.

Finally, the stormtrooper commander looked back at his men and scoffed, "They're locals, by the look of them. Alright, you know the drill. Split up, get to them, then shoot them on sight."

"Copy that," all troops said at once.

With that, they did as instructed. A couple troopers headed towards Aragorn and Boromir while another two made their way to Gandalf and Gimli. As for the stormtrooper commander, he took the remainder of his men, and continued to scan the area. He had  
just about become fed up with the Orcs that he began shoving them aside.

Legolas was still shooting arrows at a group of Orcs coming up the stairs. But his supply was running dangerously low, so the Elf was forced to start stabbing at them with his arrows. That task, though, proved to be much easier than he thought. They were  
vulnerable around the neck, which was just what his arrows needed to kill them. When the stairs were finally clear, he collected some of the arrows he had shot at the Orcs and resupplied.

Legolas then went back up to go for another round, but then spotted the stormtroopers onthe crowd. And he realized that Gandalf and Gimli were in danger. He grabbed an arrow, aimed, and fired. To his shock, however, the arrow bounced off their armor.  
The good news, though, was that he got their attention. The stormtroopers were looking around angrily, trying to find out what hit them.

But then, one of the stormtroopers tapped his comrad and pointed up at the Elf, "Look, there!"

Legolas grabbed another arrow and shot again, but missed.

"Blast him!" the other stormtrooper yelled.

Legolas took cover behind a nearby pillar as a series of laser bolts were sent his direction. These weapons were indeed very strange to him, but he wouldn't let that make him lose his focus. He readied his bow and waited for the right time to attack.  
These troopers had tough armor, but he had an idea of one vulnerable spot that could take them out.

As they were shooting, one of the troopers glanced at his partner, "Should we be worried about this local?"

The second trooper looked at him in annoyance, "No! He's using a _bow and arrow_. We're perfectly fine. He can't hurt us."

No sooner had he said that, then Legolas fired his arrow again, and it got that trooper right in the neck. He yelled in pain for one second, and then collapsed to the ground, dead. The other trooper attempted to fire at the Elf again, but his enemy was  
quicker and he got an arrow in his neck too. Legolas smirked and then shot an Orc that was about to strike at him.

Meanwhile, Kanan and Ezra were standing back to back as the Orcs kept advancing. So far, none of these creatures had gotten past their lightsabers. Eventually, the Orcs began to give up as they realized a lot of their men were getting killed by the two  
Jedi. So they backed away andtried to figure out another way to get to them.

Ezra was able to stab one more before saying, "So far so good."

Kanan was about to say something in response, but he then he stopped and became still. Even though the battle went on all around him, the Jedi Knight sensed something. He couldn't make out what it was, but then another loud roar filled everyone's ears.  
That's when Kanan sensed that something was coming. Something _big._

Both Jedisuddenly turned their heads towards the door. The ground slightly shook beneath their feet as there was a loud thumping sound from outside. Hera, Rex, Zeb, and Sabine had already got into position at a higher place in the chamber and were  
about to aim their blasterswhen they all of a suddenheard the sound. The Lasat and clone shot each other confused glances, but then remembered something. They had heard that same roar before the Orcs had charged in. Their eyes immediately  
became wide.

Sam had been knocking out more Orcs, but then paused when he looked beyond the broken door. Aragorn looked at it as well. There was a very large shape walking towards the chamber. Within the next few seconds, a ton of the stone on top of the door came  
crashing down, and in came a cave troll! A huge chain was around its neck and it was holding a really big club. The crew of _the Ghost_ , though, were not paying attention to its weapons, but more of its size.

"Holy crap, that's huge!" Ezra exclaimed in terror.

"Really?!" Kanan asked sarcastically, "I didn't notice!"

They then sensed the Orcs, who were believing that the two Jedi werecaught off guard, sneaking up behind them. They realized they were wrong when Kanan and Ezra swung around and sliced them in half.

Meanwhile, the troll let out another monsterous roar, which was now deafening everybody's ears. Legolas fired his arrow at it, and it got him right in the chest. But of course, that didn't stop the troll and only made it angrier. It began to stomp forward  
and swung its club around all over the place. He didn't seem to care what he hit. The club even hitan Orc and a stormtrooper. Sam then did the most stupid thing and tried to attack the troll, but instead the hobbit tripped and went rolling under  
its legs. The troll looked around for him, and then finally saw him trying to crawl away. The bad news was that there was nowhere else for Sam to go. He was basically trapped.

The troll raised its foot to squash the hobbit, but suddenly felt something pulling on his chain. He looked behind him, and Boromir were yanking at the chain,trying to pull the huge creature away from Sam. But the troll would  
have none of it and swung his club at the two men. Aragorn was the wise one to take cover, but Boromir was still holding onto the chain. That gave the troll the opportunity to grab his chain and send the Gondorian flying to where he crashed hard againstone  
of the chamber's walls. Fortunately, he landed right beside Hera, Zeb, Rex and Sabine, who were taking cover behind a huge stone.

Zeb rose a brow and said, "Welcome to the party."

Boromir sat up in pain and twitched for a couple seconds, trying to come back to his senses. Everything had become a haze. All of a sudden, an Orc leapt onto the higher level right in front of the crew. It noticed the Gondorian sitting on the ground and  
attempted to stab him. Hera was about to shoot it, but suddenly a daggerflew out of nowhere and got the Orc right in the neck. Boromir and the crew looked over and realized it was Aragorn who had thrown it. He gave them a small nod before stabbing  
another Orc through the chest.

The four crew members then continued to fire down on anything they could. The stormtroopers were scattered all over the chamber, so it was hard for either of them to get a clear shot. Zeb and Rex didn't really care what they shot though. They had already  
taken out about 30 Orcs within a minute. Aragorn, however, did accidentally stumble upon a stormtrooper. When the white armored soldier saw the ranger, he immediately lifted his blaster to shoot him. But Aragorn grabbedthe weapon and pointed  
it away from him right when it fired. The laser instead got an Orc in the back. The ranger then kicked the stormtrooper in the knee, making him lose his balance, and then ran his sword right through him. Hera and the other three were actually impressed.

Just then, the crew heard shrieks to their right and saw Orcs climbing up the stairs towards them, swinging their weapons like savages.

"Oh, why did they have to go and do that?!" Zeb groaned, rising to his feet and turning his bo-rifle into a shock stick again. He then popped his neck and said to the others, "I'll take care of this."

While the Lasat took care of that little problem, Sabine turned to examine Boromir while Hera and Rex kept firing. The Gondorian was still feeling extremely dizzy and was trying his hardest to snap out of it. Sabine felt his pulse and closely examined  
his head.

"Looks like you just got the wind knocked out of you," she finally said and then asked worriedly, "Are you feeling okay?"

Boromir nodded and chuckled painfully, "I think I'll manage."

"Bit of advice," Rex called back at him while he was shooting, "When someone else ducks, it'd probably be a good idea to duck too."

Boromir shook his head in defense, "I would've, but everything happened so fast."

Rex smirked behind his helmet and whispered to Hera, "I think he's delirious."

Hera just smiled and didn't bother to comment. Boromir finally felt ready enough to fight so he ran down the stairs towards the center of the chamber. As Hera kepton shooting down Orcs, she looked around the room to try and locate the stormtroopers.  
She did manage to see the commander and three of his men at the far end. And she knew that the two stormtroopers that went after Aragorn were killed both by the ranger and the cave troll. But the Twi'lek thought that there had been one more trooper.  
So where did he go?

There was then a sudden click of a blaster behind the three rebels, and a gruff voice ordered, "Hands up!"

Hera closed her eyes and sighed. That answered that question. Slowly, she, Sabine, and Rex turned around and found the missing stormtrooper pointing his blaster down at him. But when he saw their faces, he all of a sudden lowered his blaster and stepped  
back in shock.

"The Lothal rebels?!" he exclaimed.

The trooper's comm suddenly buzzed, "What was that, private? Repeat."

The stormtrooper spoke into the comm, still looking at the rebels, "Commander, the Lothal rebels are here with the locals!"

He then felt someone tap him on theshoulder. He turned around and saw Zeb looking down at him, grinning.

"Hi," the Lasat said with a wave, before stabbing him with his shock stick.

Zeb then grabbed the stormtrooper by the helmet and threw him down into the crowd. If the shock didn't kill him, then that definitely did.

Zeb chuckled as he crouched down beside the others again, "I've missed doing that."

"Okay Zeb, settle down," Hera said with a smirk.

Unfortunately for them, the stormtrooper commander had heard the man's report before his death, and looked up at the higher level, seeing the three shooting down at the Orcs. And he recognized them instantly.

"The Lothal rebels are here, andproviding cover fire for the locals," the commander said to his three remaining men, "Get up there and take care of them, now!"

Suddenly, the three troopers went flying back into the wall and fell to the ground unconscious. The commander turned around and saw Kanan and Ezra standing a few feet away, their lightsabers pointing straight at him.

"How about, no," Ezra said to him mockingly.

The stormtrooper commander raised his blaster, but never got the chance to fire. Out of nowhere, the cave troll came charging at the two Jedi, swinging his club. Kanan and Ezra jumped out of the way, but the commander wasn't so lucky. The troll didn't  
care, though, and roared at his two targets, swinging his club again. That made Kanan and Ezra seaparate and flip back to opposite corners of the chamber.

Then, Gimli came charging and swung his axeat the troll's legs, shouting, "Kanan, Ezra, get out of here!"

The troll yelped in pain and abrubtly kicked the dwarf away. Gimli went rolling back to his cousin's tomb, the creature giving pursuit. The troll rose his club and brought it down, but Gimli managed to roll out of the way. Unfortunately, the club broke  
Balin's tomb in half. The dwarf looked at the ruins of his cousin's resting place, and became even more angry than before and increased his attack on the huge beast.

He thought twice, though, when the troll kept on swinging his hugeclub, and knew he couldn't single handily bring him down. And he was forced to back away when the troll also began to swing his chain at him. Legolas spotted the creature from the  
platform battleing the dwarf. He reached back for two arrows, attached them to his bow, and fired. It was a direct hit and sent the troll stumbling backwards. Gimli let out a short laugh and then swung his axe at a couple Orcs.

The troll recovered from the arrows, and then angrily began to make his way towards the Elf. He then swunghis chain at the platform. Legolas ducked and weaved to avoid it. Eventually, though, the chain wraps itself around a pillar, and the Elf jumped  
onto it and nimbly walked up it to the troll's large head. Now standing on its shoulders, Legolas grabbedtwo more arrows and shotdown on the creature's head. That resulted in a huge scream from the troll, and he tried to grab the Elf,  
but Legolas had already jumped down and back into the battle.

Sam was now fighting on the higher platform, and for a little hobbit, he was managing pretty good. Any Orc that came up to him, he boppedon the head with his pan. Within the next few minutes, he had taken care of almost every one of those creatures  
that were on his side of the platform.

"I think I'm getting the hang of this," the hobbit remarked with a slight laugh.

Meanwhile, Merry, Pippin, and Frodo were running along the platform, trying to avoid running into too much Orcs, but just the right amount to fight and kill. However, they came around a pillar and suddenly screamed out infear. There stood the cave  
troll, and it rose its club and tried to bring it down on them. The good news, it missed. The bad news, it separated Frodo from Merry and Pippin. They hid behind separate pillars, but unfortunately for the Ring Bearer, the cave troll could care less  
about Merry and Pippin. It seemed to have more of an interest in him. Frodo tried his best to stay out of the troll's sight, but could hear it sniffing around for him.

Zeb, who had gotten tired of being a sniper, was getting his hands dirty and electrocutingalmost every single Orc he met. But then he noticed the cave troll, and couldn't help but groan when he sawthat Frodo, Merry, and Pippin were hiding  
from it. He wasn't agitated that they were hiding. He was agitated that they had to stumble upon the blasted beast! The Lasat finished off four more Orcs before slowly making his way towards the hobbits' position.

Frodo was trying his upmost hardest to not be seen by the troll. He was moving around the pillar who knows how many times, and the creature continued to follow him, sniffing for the Halfling's scent. Frodo then halted when he almost ran into the troll's  
leg and just waited. He could hear it breathing right around the corner. But thankfully, after a couple sniffs, it moved away from that spot. Frodo quickly moved around the pillar and halted at another spot. This time, though, he couldn't hear the  
troll. He was about to think that he had gone, but he realized that he was wrong. The troll suddenly came around the corner and roared right into the hobbit's face. Frodo lost his balance and tried crawling away as fast as he could. But then the troll  
reached out his arm and grabbed the hobbit, and began to pull him towards him. Frodo tried to grab onto something, but he wasn't able to hold onto anything at all. He then saw Aragorn fighting a few feet away from him.

"Aragorn!" Frodo shrieked, " _Aragorn_!"

The ranger twirled around, and when he saw what was happening, his eyes went wide. He then seized a large spear and jumped right in front of the troll. The beast made one swing with his club, to which Aragorn ducked, and then he shoved the spear right  
into the troll's stomach. But he realized that its skin happened to be really tough. And he wasn't able to hold the troll for long, for it suddenly swung its fist and made the ranger crash into a pile of stones and go unconscious. Frodo crawled over  
and tried to wake Aragorn up, but then found himself backing up against the wall a few seconds later. The troll had him cornered, and pulled out the spear that had been stuck in the skin over his stomach. Frodo tried to make a run for it, but the  
beast used the spear to block him, and shove him back into the corner of the wall.

Zeb had finally made it up to the platform and came up behind Merry and Pippin. But just before he was about to escort them away from the beast, something horrible and unexpected happened. The cave troll took the spear and sent it right into Frodo's stomach!  
The hobbit squealed out in pain, and that caused all members of the Fellowship to look over that direction. And as soon as they saw what had transpired, all their hearts stopped and they stood there frozen. Zeb, Merry, and Pippin's jaws dropped in  
complete horror. Sabine and Rex removed their helmets and stared, wide eyed. Ezra, Hera, and Kanan stumbled back, thinking that this did not just happen. Gandalf, Gimli, Boromir, and Legolas looked as horrified and nearly dropped their swords. And  
Sam was the one who was most horrified. Did that thing just kill Frodo?!

The whole world around them slowed down as they saw Frodo's face go pale and sweat roll down his cheeks. His eyed rolled to the back of his head and he crumpled to the ground. The cave troll gave a menacing grin.

" _Nooooooo!_ ", both Ezra and Sabine cried out at the same time.

This couldn't be. They couldn't be seeing this. Frodo couldn't be dead! As sorrow and grief filled the Fellowship's hearts, so did their anger. Merry and Pippin tightened their grips on their swords and scowled at the troll. Without warning, both hobbitssuddenly  
jumped off the platform and onto the troll's back. The beast was surprised by the sudden attack, and then began to roar angrily as Merry and Pippin began to stab at its back. Zeb thought the Halflings had gone mad, but all of a sudden found himself  
doing the exact same thing. He too jumped onto the troll's back and began stabbing at its head with the shock stick.

Ezra wasn't even thinking anymore. He knew that attachment wasn't the Jedi way, but he could not keep his feelings buried, and let all of his anger out. The enemy had just murdered a dear friend, and they had to pay! He ignored the aching of his body,  
and the blood on his lips, and just slashed his lightsaber at the remaining Orcs. Kanan would've stopped his apprentice, but he was honestly feeling the same way. He couldn't see what had happened, but he could feel it through the Force. He felt the  
hobbit's body had gone cold and could just picture Frodolying limp on the stone floor. That was all he needed to just behead any nearby Orc. Hera, Sabine, and Rex jumped off the platform and aided in killing the last of the enemy within the  
chamber.

Just then, they all heard a sudden loudbeep. The company looked back and found Chopper standing on top of the stairs. The astromech was holding up two axes with the mechanical arms on the side of his domed head. Then, with one angry grumble, Chopper  
activated the rockets on his legs and began to fly down fast towards the battle. The Orcs looked baffled at seeing such a strange metalthing, and became even more afraid when Chopper began to spin his head really fast while holding the axes.  
The droid plowed through a whole column of the creatures within the next seven seconds. Chopper then deactivated his leg rockets and began to go all droid crazy on the Orcs. He swung his axes right into all their stomachs, and even zapped a couple.  
The Orcs tried to strike him, but the astromech was too fast, and it was actually kind of scary to Ezra.

Once all Orcs were dead, the Fellowship looked towards the center of the chamber. Only the cave troll remained. Zeb, Merry, and Pippin were furiously trying to kill it, and it at first seemed successful, because the creature dropped its club. However,  
it suddenly reached out one hand and pulled Merry off of him. The troll then held the screaming hobbit in the air while trying to take care of Zeb and Pippin. The Lasat lost his balance and fell off its back, but he then jumped back into his feet  
and tried electrocuting the troll's legs. The Fellowship attempted to stab at the legs as well, although Kanan and Ezra's laser swords seemed to be very effective. The lightsabers dug deep into the troll's skin, and it was really making it howl in  
pain.

It finally got to the point where the creature couldn't take it any longer and just rolled back its head and let out another angry roar. But it failed to see Legolas take his bow and shoot an arrow right into its open mouth. The troll paused and began  
to make a low moan. It just stood there, its head starting to sway a bit. He loosened his grip on Merry and the hobbit fell to the ground. Then, the troll began to stumble, and the Fellowship knew they had to get out of the way. They had finally taken  
care of this monster. With a loud satisfying thud, the cave troll fell to the ground dead, and Pippin rolled off if. The hobbit rolled right up to Zeb, who aggravatingly yanked him to his feet.

Everybody immediately rushed over to Frodo's limp body. Aragorn had regained consciousness, and looked over at the hobbit. When he saw the spear sticking into his stomach, the ranger immediately removed it from him. Sorrow came to the man's features,  
as did the rest of the company. Sabine leaned against one of the pillars, tears slowly rolling down her face. Ezra placed a hand on the Mandalorian's shoulder and leaned his head against hers.

"Oh no," Aragorn mumbled hopelessly as he rolled the hobbit onto his back.

But once he did that, the Fellowship was given another unexpected surprise. Frodo's eyes opened! The hobbit coughed and sat up. Everybody stared at him indisbelief. Sam knelt down in front of his friend and looked back at the others.

"He's alive," he said with a sigh of relief.

Gandalf exhaled and leaned against his staff. Before Frodo knew what was happening, both Sabine and Ezra knelt down and pulled the hobbit into a tight embrace. When they finally let go, the Mandalorian jabbed a finger at him.

"Don't you ever scare us like that again, understand?!' she said, trying to sound angry, although she couldn't have felt more happier.

Frodo smiled at herand thennodded to everybody, "I'm alright. I'm not hurt."

Zeb placed his hands on his hips and frowned, "And that's exactly what confuses me. You should be bloody dead!"

Aragorn nodded in agreement, just as confused, "That spear would have skewered a wild boar."

Gandalf raised both of his brows and muttered with a slight smile on his face, "I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye."

Frodo nodded, and then unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a secret toeveryone. His shirt wasn't the only cloths he had on. Beneath it, was a silver looking shirt made out of little rings. Ezra's eyes went wide. He had seen this shirt before, and one  
of the questions he had back when they were first traveling through Moria was answered. That was Bilbo's Mithril shirt! The crew of _the Ghost_ didn't have to ask what that was either, for they already had a guess.

"Mithril!" Gimli exclaimed, looking at the hobbit with a newfound respect, "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins."

Chopper let out a triumphant beep and dropped the axes he was holding. Zeb glared down at the droid and hit him on the dome. Chopper was offended by that and angrilybeeped at the Lasat.

"That's for ditching us earlier," Zeb explained, crossing his arms.

Suddenly, the Fellowship was broken out of their amazement of the shirt by another series of shrieks. They looked at the door and realized that theywere hearingeven more Orcs entering Dwarrowdelf. The _Ghost_ crew looked at each other  
and realized that the fight wasn't over. This was only the beginning of the escape from Moria. Gandalf lowered his head for a brief moment and then looked back at his companions.

"To the Bridge of Khazad-dum." 

* * *

****

**Bet you guys didn't expect me back with another chapter so soon. lol. Well surprise! lol :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter. :) Like I said, these couple of chapters will be a bit shorter than my previous ones, but I hope they will still be enjoyable. And please ignore any errors in the typing. I know, I hate them too, but Fanfiction keeps on doing it. lol. Anyways, look foreword to the next chapter, guys. :) Big things are coming. There will be more fighting, and maybe even a couple of revelations. :) Till next time. :)**


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 31: Escape from Moria**  
 **  
**

 ****

 ****

No sooner had Gandalf said those words, then the whole Fellowship was running out of the tomb and back into Dwarrowdelf. The wizard had left his hat behind, but could care less considering the situation they were in. Ezra was running like crazy as were  
the rest of his friends. The young apprentice didn't know what this 'Bridge of Khazad-dum' was, but it sounded way better than here. And if it meant getting out of Moria, then he was more than happy to go.

Chopper was miraculously keeping up with the Fellowship. The astromech had let down a front leg and was rolling on that while lifting his two back legs off the ground. That seemed to be the thing he usually did to speed up. At least, that's what Ezra  
had seen back on Lothal.

They all jumped when they heard the screeches ofmore Orcs. But when they looked behind them, they wished that they hadn't looked at all. There was a whole mass of the vile creatures giving pursuit! Big enough to almost be an army! And they were  
coming from both the left and the right. Zeb was looking all around him, wide-eyed and wishing that they had never come to this bloody place to begin with. It'd take a miracle for all of them to make it out of here alive.

Ezra paled even more when he noticed Orcs were jumping out of trenches that were almost in front of the that the apprentice hasn't even noticed whole place was infested with Orcs! And what's worse, it almost looked  
like they were slowly surrounding the Fellowship. Ezra had a horrid feeling at the pit of his stomachthat they weren't going to be able to outrun them.

And oh his right he was, especially after what happened next. He had then heard a rustling sound from above and looked up. There were different creatures, kind ofsimilar looking to Orcs, crawling out of holes on the roof and down the city's pillars.  
But it wasn't hard for Ezra to guess what they were. These had to be the Goblins. And he could understand why they were called that. They had sickly green skin, eyes with long slit pupils, and were hunched over like some wild animal. When the crew  
of _the Ghost_ had been told they were at war with the dark forces of Mordor, they sure got the 'dark force' part right.

Almost every pillar the Fellowship passed, there was a horde of Goblins crawling down it. Ezra could even see some up ahead, and to his dismay, they had actually reached the bottom. Gandalf abrubtly halted and spread out his arms to make everybody else  
stop. They were officially surrounded by Orcs _and_ Goblins that were running straight for them.

"Karabast!" Zeb growled, "We're trapped!"

Sam jerked his ahead from side to side, looking fearfully at the enemy, "How are we going to get out?!"

Nobody had an answer. Although, there was a very high chance that they _weren't_ going to get out, but they didn't want to say it out loud.

"Everybody, back to back!" Kanan ordered, activating his lightsaber.

They all made a circle, their backs turned toone another, and pointed their weapons at the enemy. The Orcs and Goblins had finally came up to them and halted. None of the Fellowship made a sudden move, for they were both afraid and ready to take  
as much of these creatures down asthey possibly could. Either way, they knew they were going to die. There was no cover, just the wide open area of Dwarrowdelf, and it was basically full of Orcs and Goblins, except for a small circle where there  
stood the Fellowship of the Ring.

The creatures hissed at then mockingly while scraping their swords together. The Goblins, in particular, had aninterest in the hobbits and showed themtheir sharp twisted fangs. Pippin slightly backed away and hid behind Aragorn and Rex. The  
company tightened their grips on their weapons, their breath heavy and their hearts racing.

This was not how they expected to go out. They still had a quest to fulfill. And if they died, the enemy would find the ring and return it to Sauron. This whole entire journey so far would've been for nothing. Ezra knew it was highly unlikely, but he  
was _really_ hoping for something unexpected to happen that would save their butts. He wasn't ready to die. None of them were.

But then, to Ezra's amazement, something did happen. At the far end of the city, a sudden bright red light appeared as well as a deep rumblingroar. Both the Orcs and Goblins suddenly cringed and shrieked in fear. Without even glancing back at the  
Fellowship, the creatures began to run away. The Goblins retreated back up the pillars while all Orcs dived down the trenches.

Everybodysmiled and shakingly laughed in relief. Well, except for Gandalf. The wizard's eyes narrowed and he stared at the large red light in the distance. Ezra's smile faded too when he followed the old man's gaze. Rex, Gimli, and Zeb hadn't even  
seen the light yet, for they were looking the opposite way. They were laughing mockingly at the retreating Orcs and Goblins.

"Where're you going?!" Rex shouted at them challengingly, "Get back here!"

But when the whole Fellowship turned their heads towards the red light, all that relief faded and was replaced by a new concern. What even was that? It couldn't be fire, yet they saw the light slightly flicker. Ezra thought it had been a fire at first,  
but where did that roar come from? And plus, he was sensing a disturbance in the Force, as was Kanan. There was something down there. It wasn't an Orc, a Goblin, nor even a troll.

It felt...more evil than that.

Gandalf's expression was surprisingly full of fear. He just looked at that light and didn't say a word. The others could tell that he was afraid, which none of them had really expected. He obviously knew what this was.

Boromir leaned over and asked him quietly, "What is this new devilry?"

Gandalf didn't answer and just closed his eyes in regret. Kanan and Ezra deactivated their lightsabers and just held them at their sides. For some reason, they had a feeling that their weapons wouldn't be of much effect towhatever this was. The  
whole Fellowship knew that it was a creature, for another roar came from that end of the city.

Ezra studied Gandalf's expression. He felt conflict within the wizard. Fear, sorrow, and especially regret. But why? Gandalf opened his eyes again and stared at the light. That's when Ezra realized something. Was this the reason he had been soafraid  
of coming to Moria? The young apprentice didn't need to wonder, because he had a feeling he already knew that he was right.

"A balrog," Gandalf finally replied, "a demon of the ancient world."

Legolas's eyes widened. He had heard of such a creature before, but never thought he'd encounter one in here of all places. Neither thecrew of _the Ghost_ nor the other members of the Fellowship knew what a balrog was, but they too began to  
develop fear in their hearts. The red light was enough to tell them that this creature was somethingpure evil.

Ezra didn't like the 'demon' part of that either. He wondered what exactly this balrog looked like, but he didn't want to go down there to find out.

"This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf said, turning towards another doorway and then shouting, " _Run_!"

They didn't need to be told to run, it was already in their minds. And as soon as Gandalf began running to the doorway, so did everybody else. The whole entire city began to slightly shake. Ezra couldn't tell if it was just an earthquake or that thing  
walking this way. It was probably a good guess it'd be the other thing. And if the creature could literally shake the ground by just walking, then it had to be _way_ bigger than a cave troll.

Most of the company, except for Aragorn, Boromir, and Gandalf, put their weapons away. They needed as much speed as possible to get far away from the Dwarven city. Gandalf stood at the side of the entrance, letting everybody else through first, and glanced  
back once more at the light before following.

They rushed down a set of stairs, but this time were surprisingly shorter than the ones they previously walked through in the mines. None of that mattered to them, though. They were more focused on trying to get away from this supposed giant demon creature  
thing. Boromir was ahead of the group and was the first to enter the new area.

However, as the Gondorian was rushing down the stairs, he failed to see that they abrubtly ended. And when he realized what was happening, it was too late. He found himself looking down upon a great chasm, and was just about to fall off. But then Boromir  
felt an arm suddenlywrap around him and yank him back,savinghim from falling. He looked back and realized that it was Zeb who saved him. The Gondorian nodded his thanks to the Lasat as the rest of the Fellowship caught up to them.

Gandalf stumbled in last, leaning against his staff and trying to catch his breath. Aragornlooked back at him and rushed up to see if he was alright.

"Gandalf?" the ranger asked worriedly.

Gandalf placed a firm hand on the man's shoulder, "Lead them on, Aragorn." He then nodded to his left, "The Bridge is near."

Aragorn looked over. Far off in the distance, he was able to see a narrow stone bridge that went over the chasm. Suddenly, another roar eruptedbehind them, causing everybody to look back. The red glow was getting closer. Ezra could tell because  
it appeared to be brighter than before.

Aragorn lookedat the Gandalfconfusedly, but the wizardthen harshly pushed him away.

"Do as I say!" Gandalf snapped, walking past him, "Swords are of no more use here!"

He then pointed to a stairway to the right of theFellowship, and instructed everybody to run down it. Everybody did as told, being more than happy to do it. Gandalf and Aragorn were at the rear of the group while Hera and Legolas were at the front.  
As they went down the stairway, Ezra could see that there were many twists and turns along the path. According to Gandalf, this would wind their way to the Bridge.

Zeb and Boromir carefully guided the hobbits down, standing on either side of them and hoping one of them wouldn't slip by accident. Sabine, Gimli, Rex, Kanan, Ezra, and Chopper were right behind them, studying the stairway. Saying that the path they  
first travelled inMoria was dangerous was now an understatement. This path had to be the most dangerous. The chasm was _very_ deep, and it made Ezra feel sick to his stomach.

The only comfort of going down this path is that it'd finally get them out of Moria once and for all. The young Jedi had just about enough of darkness, Orcs, Goblins, and especially stormtroopers. He wanted to see and feel the sun again.

Suddenly, everybody was forced to halt once again. Ezra looked over and saw that they had come upon a gap in the stairway. Some stonemust've fallen off and broke it. And the problem was that the other side was a bit far away. How were they supposed  
to get to it?! However, Legolas all of a sudden leapt into the air and successfully landed on the other side, making Zeb roll his eyes. That Elf continued to be a showoff.

Another roar came from the doorway. Gandalf and Ezra looked back. They were now far away from the door, but they could see that the red light had gotten even brighter. That thing was getting closer. Ezra was really hoping it wasn't able to break down  
all that stone and get to them.

"Gandalf!" Legolas shouted, beckoning the wizard to jump.

Without a second thought, Gandalf jumped over to the other side, Legolas catching him. Chopper then made a grumble before using his rockets to get over to the other side as well. So far so good. If they could keep this up, Ezra felt confident that they  
could all get over this gap without one of them accidentallyfalling to their death.

Before anybody else could jump, however, an arrow suddenly whizzed past the Fellowship's heads and nearly missed Boromir. Everybody turned their heads to see where that had come from. Rex zoomed in with his helmet to the farthest part of the mine and  
groaned. There were tons of Goblins standing along a platform, equipped with bows. And considering that they almost got hit by one of their arrows, the clone had a hunch that they were good shots.

He pointed over to the platform, "I've got about 12 uglies over there. They're armed with bows."

"Great," Sabine musedsarcastically, "Just what we need."

Kanan and Ezra activated their lightsabers just in time to block another arrow heading towards them. The Goblins began to send a ton more the Fellowship's way, making them slightly duck. Everybody realized they were vulnerable on the stairs. But they  
weren't going to just sit arround and let themselves get shot. Legolas, Hera, Sabine, Zeb, and Rex took out their weapons and opened fire at the Goblins. Unfortunately, the Twi'lek and the Lasat couldn't see the enemy too well since they were far  
away, but the other three kept on getting direct hits on the creatures.

Ezra could see tons of dead Goblins start to fall down the chasm, and it was the most satisfying sight he had seen all day. He hated those things, and he had only just met them today. Another arrow whizzed towards the apprentice, but he chopped it in  
half with his green laser blade. He smirked, being thankful for all the advantages of being a Jedi. As more arrows shot his way, he kept blocking them off.

He then looked over at his friends and shrugged, "This isn't so bad."

"Ezra, watch out!" Sabine shrieked.

Too late. Before Ezra had even a second to think, he felt a sharp pain go through his right arm. With a scream, he dropped his lightsaber and crumpled to the ground. When he looked over at his arm, he felt like he was going to be sick. A Goblin arrow  
was sticking out of it. Sabine ran over, seized the arrow, and without warning yanked it out. Ezra let out a bloodcurdling scream and clutched his arm. The Mandalorian slapped his handaway and put a cloth over the wound.

"This should stop the bleeding," Sabinemuttered worriedly, "Does it hurt bad?!"

Ezra gave her and annoyed look and replied, "Well the pain wasn't that bad until you had to yank it out!"

"Sorry," Sabine apologized, feeling a bit guilty, "Can you still walk?"

Ezra winced as he nodded, "I think so, yeah."

Carefully, the Mandalorian helped the Jedi to his Fellowship knew they couldn't stay there for so long and fight. They had to get people to the other side of the and Zeb provided cover fire while Boromir and Rex carried  
Merry and Pippin andjumped over to the other side. But when they did so, a greater chunk of the steps they were standing on fell away.

When Rexwas caught by Legolas, he resumed firing on the Goblin-infested platform. Now the Fellowship had to figure out how they were going to get people over to the other others wouldn't be able to catch them from a distance like  
that.

Another wave of arrows was heading their way, but then Kanan jumped in front of Hera and Zeb. He chopped up about five of them, and then used the Force to launch the rest back at the Goblins.

"Hera, you and Zeb go next!" the Jedi Knight ordered.

The Twi'lek captain shook her head, uncertain, "Kanan, we're not gonna be able to jump that far!"

"I'll Force push you both over!" Kanan said, then glancing back at Aragorn, "We're gonna have to toss people over now! That's our only option!"

The ranger nodded, understanding, and then beckoned Sam over. He'd send the hobbit over after Hera and Zeb. The Twi'lek and the Lasat stood at the edge of the stairs, and shuddered when they glanced down at the deep chasm. Taking deep breaths, they both  
finally jumped into the air. Kanan pulled his hand back and gently jerked it forward. Hera and Zeb went flying to the other side and nearly knocked Legolas and Boromir off their feet.

When the Elf and Gondoriannodded up to send the next, Aragorn tossed Sam over. Rex, meanwhile, was getting a bit irritated because the Goblins had become fully aware that some of their enemies had advanced weapons. So when the clone sent a laser  
bolt their way, they dodged it. These blasted uglies were getting on his nerves! That's what Rex decided he'd call them now. 'Uglies'was a perfect fit to these disgusting creatures.

But then something else put the clone into an even more sour mood. He spotted new arrivals runningontothe platform, and this time they were very familiar. He counted about 25 Imperial stormtroopers taking the Goblins' place. There were only  
five of the creatures left, and the bucketheads just shoved them aside. Now both sides had the same firepower.

Rex shook his head and mumbled, "Well...this is a problem." 

* * *

Unbeknownst to the Fellowship, the Orcs and Goblins weren't the only ones scattered across Moria. There were also enough stormtroopers in that mine that could crew an entire Star Destroyer ortwo. The squad that was sent to Balin's tomb was only  
a small portion of the larger Imperial threat.

These stormtroopers stationed on the platform took orders directly from the highest Imperial command that was stationed on the planet. And when they received a report from the squad commanderthat the Lothal rebels were seen with the locals, command  
ordered them to investigate immediately.

To the shock of most of the men there, they realized that the information was accurate. They had read several Imperialreports from Lothal about these rebels, and they never forgot their faces. What were they even doing here, none of the troops had  
a clue. Not that it mattered, though. Command had given them specific instructions to eliminate the intruders, so they carried out their orders and opened fire.

The sergeant in charge tried his best to see what was going on over there. He noticed that the enemy wasn't moving from the stairs. He then barked at one of his men to toss him some binoculars. When that was done, he looked through and zoomed in on them.  
He realized that they weren't moving because of a huge gap in the stairway. They had been trying to get people across, but werenow taking cover from the laser bolts of the troopers.

Good. The sergeant figuredthat as long as they were stuck there, his men would have the opportunity to wipe them all out one by one. The tricky part, though, was trying to shoot a faraway target. They would've gone through the Dwarven city, but  
that would've taken too long and the enemy would've been gone by then. However, commandhad assured the sergeantthat they would contact nearby Imperial units to intercept the locals on the stairway. But where were they?!

"Reinforcements should be here by now," the sergeant grumbled, "What's taking them so long?!"

"I'll check, sir," one of the stormtroopers replied, tapping the side of his helmet.

The sergeant just shook his head. Help was very scarce these days. Especially on this planet. They no longer had a ton of the technology they used to have, which was quite aggravating. Fortunately though, they had tons of weapons still safely stored away.  
That was at least one resource of the Empire they could count on.

And the sergeant was really glad, for once, that there was finally some action in this little pathetic pit that they called a kingdom. His boys had been on guard duty here for who knows how many months. While meanwhile, the rest of the Empire was out  
across the planet, doing who knows what. In his opinion, this alliance with these creatures and their dark master was getting worse and worse all the time.

It hadbeen four years of this. _Four_ years of preparing for this huge war. And yet none of the Imperial leaders have revealed anything of how it was going to happen. All stormtroopers were told was to do as ordered and don't ask questions.  
The sergeant scoffed at that. They weren't some brain-chip controlled clone troopers. They were actual people who had their own opinions. Of course, command never asked for them, though.

The sergeant then saw the onetrooper lower his hand from the side of his helmet and look at him.

"They're almost at the target, sir," he reported, "There were...complications in the city that held them back, so they had to take another way."

The sergeant's jaw clenched behind his helmet, "What kind of complications?!"

The stormtrooper looked around at his other comrades before leaning forward and whispering, "Sir, that thing's awake."

The sergeant muttered something under his breath and sighed. Not that blasted creature again! It had been a thorn in the Empire's side for all these years. It was a bad time for it to be awake.

The stormtrooper then tilted his head worriedly at his leader and asked, "What should we do?"

"You will do absolutely nothing," a sudden harsh accented voice replied from behind, "Get back to your station and fire at those fugitives."

The sergeant looked behind him and his stomach clenched. When he saw who was speaking, he immediately rose and stood at attention. Out of the shadows came a man. He was dressed in a long grey-leathered uniform, black boots, black gloves, a very old officer's  
hat, and carried around a small metalcane which he held behind his back.

The stick was threatening to almost every stormtrooper within the Empire, but the most threatening sight was the man's face. It was completely shaven, revealing a couple wrinkles along his cheeks. There was a huge scar that went down across the man's  
right eye, which made the pupil completely white and freaky looking. His left eye, though, gave the most piercing stare that made any soldier panic.

"Admiral Vankoff!" the sergeant exclaimed, completely surprised, "We were not expecting you,sir."

Admiral Vankoff rose a brow and asked bitterly, "I don't believe I'm supposed to always inform you of my whereabouts, am I, SergeantScurrow?"

Sergeant Scurrow immediately shook his head, "Oh no, of course not, sir."

Vankoff then walked past him, seized his binoculars and looked over at the stairway. He didn't say anything for the longest couple of seconds. The stormtroopers standing next to him were feeling a bit nervous, resulting intheir shotsbecoming  
sloppy. All the admiral made was a small "hmm" sound as he watched.

Finally, he lowered the binoculars and said with complete amazement, "So it is true. The rebels from the Lothal system are here!"

Sergeant Scurrow nodded, "Yes sir. They appear to be aiding the locals."

Vankoff's eyes narrowed, "Interesting. How did they get here?"

"We don't know, sir," Scurrow answered with a shrug.

Vankoff rolled his eyes, "Of course _you_ don't know, sergeant! That wasn't a question addressed to you.I doubt anybody in the Empire does."

Scurrow nodded, apologetically, "Sorry, sir." He then looked over to the door that led into the city, "With all due respect, though, sir, shouldn't we do something about that beast?"

Vankoff didn't even look back at him as he replied, "The creature is none of our concern. It has not given us any problems at the moment. We have our orders from command. These fugitives must be detained."

Scurrow knew better than to argue with the admiral. If he said for them to do something, then it was _very_ important that they did as told. Admiral Vankoff was not a man to disobey. He was the most violent of Imperial officers in the whole military.  
And if one wondered why he wasn't concerned about that creature, that would be marked as a stupid question. Why? As far as Scurrow knew, the man had experience with monsters before. Rumor was that he butchered rancors back in the earlier days of the  
Empire and made a meal out of them.

A sickening thought, indeed. Nobody within the Imperial military liked to hear that story, whether it was true or not.

"Where are thereinforcements I sent?" Vankoff suddenly demanded.

Scurrow stumbled for a second, "Um, they are en route, sir. Shouldn't be too long."

Vankoff nodded without turning his head, "Inform me when they've arrived."

Scurrow tilted his head, "May I ask why, sir?"

A small cruel smile came upon the admiral's face and he simply said, "I wish to have a word with our rebel friends." 

* * *

Of course the Empire had to show up again! And those lasers were far more effective than Goblin arrows. Kanan and Ezra, who was toughing out the pain in his arm, deflected the blasts. But it wasn't enough to get the others the opportunity to toss somebody  
else to the other side. The only people left beside the two Jedi were Sabine, Aragorn, Gimli, and Frodo. The ranger stood in front of the hobbit, shielding him from the stormtroopers' blasts.

The rest of the Fellowship on the other side tried to do what they could. Legolas was running short on arrows so he wasn't of much help, but Hera, Zeb, and Rex fired back at the enemy to the best of their ability. Too bad nobody had a sniper. They could _really_ use  
one right now.

Zeb shouted over to Hera, "We're lingering here too long!"

"Yeah," the Twi'lek replied irritably, "well there's nothing we can do about that right now!"

The Lasat looked at the rest of the company, "Does anybody have any bright ideas? Because now would be agood time to use em!"

Boromir gave him a look of disbelief, "Of course. We all know how to handle _your_ enemies!"

Zeb ignored the man's sarcasm, and sent another shot at the platform. He did have a point, though. The crew of _the Ghost_ were basically the only ones here who knew about the Empire. So if there was anybody who could get everybodyout of this  
mess, it'd have to be them. Meanwhile, Ezra could see that red light in the doorway becoming brighter. How close was that thing?

Sabine zoomed in on the platform with her T-visor helmet. Those bucketheads were all over the place, and evidently trying their best to hit them. The Mandalorian had to admit that she was impressed with their shooting skills. Back on Lothal, stormtroopers  
were absolutely terrible at shooting, but these guys had apparently gotten some practice. Whoever trained them did an excellent job.

Sabine then noticed that aside from the stormtroopers, there was an Imperial officer with them. She frowned. Was this the guy they were taking orders from? He looked that way, especially with the huge pale scar along his eye. What in the world happened  
to that poor guy?

Rex suddenly yelled for everybody to listen, "I think I may have an idea! What if we were to block their vision long enough to get more people across?"

Legolas frowned, "And how exactly would you do that?"

The clone reached down to the side of his belt and pulled out three smoke bombs, "With these. I can throw them out there," he pointed at the Jedi Knight, "then Kanan can use the Force to get them as close to those troopers as possible. They can't shoot  
while blind."

Everybody looked over at Gandalf to see what he thought. The wizard eyed the clone and then looked at the platform. He could see how the soldiers' lasers burnt against the stone. His eyes then went back to the doorway. After looking at that, he nodded  
at Rex.

"Do it," he said.

Rex nodded, and without another word pulled his arm back and threw the bombs with all his might. Kanan then used the Force and sent them flying far off towards the platform. Three seconds later, the bombs exploded, releasing a ton of smoke in front of  
the stormtroopers. That was the Fellowship's cue. Aragorn turned to Gimli and was about to grab him.

But the dwarf held up his and and said, "Nobody tosses a dwarf!"

Gimli then jumped towards the other side, and for a second, it looked like he was going to be successful. But then he began to slip backwards and was fearfully waving his arms all over the place. Before he fell, though, Chopper locked his feet down on  
the stairs and grabbed the dwarf's beard with one of his metal hands.

"Not the beard, you stupid bucket!" Gimli shouted angrily at him.

Chopper just made a mechanical laugh in response before pulling him to safety. Kanan and Sabine were up next.

The Jedi looked over at the Mandalorian, "You ready?"

Sabine shrugged, "Do I really have much of a choice?"

Kanan smirked and shook his head, "No, not really."

He then used the Force to push her to the other side, Zeb catching her. Of course, Kanan had nothing to worry about when it came to jumping. He Force leapt into the air and then softly landed behind the Fellowship.

"Ezra, you're next!" Kanan called to his padawan.

Slowly, the apprentice walked up to the edge. He really didn't want to tell his master that he thought this wasn't a good idea. But he knew that if he stalled, the smoke would clear and they'd be stuck once again. Ezra took a deep breath, told himself  
not to look down, and Force leapt into the air. However, he failed to see how far he had jumped, and realized he was going to go right down the chasm!

Ezra screamed out and waved his arms around. He wouldn't be able to grab hold of the stairs because they might just fall down with him. But just before he fell past the stairs, a felt someone grab his hand. Now he was just hanging over the chasm, which  
didn't make him feel any better. He looked up to see that it was Sabine who had caught him.

"I'vegot you!" the Mandalorian said shakily as she pulled him up, "I'vegot you!"

When she pulled him up close enough to the stairs, he grabbed them with his other hand and used it to help him get up. Both Ezra and Sabine then leaned back on the stairs for a brief moment to catch their breath. The Mandalorian didn't realize that her  
arm was around the apprentice, but when they finally looked at each other, they noticed. Sabine quickly moved her and away, although she was slightly blushing beneath her helmet. But she tried to act normal and just lightly punched him in the shoulder  
before standing back up.

Now only Aragorn and Frodo remained on the other side of the stairs. The Fellowship looked up at them, and waited. Kanan thought that maybe the ranger could toss Frodo over and then he could use the Force to bring the man over as well.

Gandalf beckoned them, "Aragorn, hurry!"

But before they made their move, Aragorn and Frodo suddenly heard angry shouts from behind them. They turned and saw a squad of stormtroopers rushing down the steps towards them, pointing their blasters straight at them. The Fellowship pointed all  
their weapons at them in return. If those bucketheads so much as pulled the trigger on their two friends, they'd let them have it.

One of the stormtroopers pointed the barrel of his blaster right at Frodo's head, "Don't move!"

The ranger and the hobbit slowly rose their hands in surrender. They couldn't take these guys head on. Their weapons would be no match for them. Ezra was about to jump back over there to help them, but Kanan stopped him, shaking his head. They couldn't  
risk getting Frodo and Aragorn killed, because that's exactly what the stormtroopers would do if any of the Fellowship tried something foolish.

Sabine glanced over to her right and closed her eyes in defeat. The smoke blocking the platform had vanished. But for some reason, the stormtroopers along said platform didn't open fire again. The Mandalorian rose a brow in confusion. What were they waiting  
for?

Her question was answered when one of the troopers on the stairs set down a little disc. When he pressed a button, a huge hologram of an Imperial officer appeared. Sabine realized that it was the sameofficer she had spotted on the platform moments  
ago. The others, who had not yet seen this guy, were a bit creeped out by the scar across his eye and his sinister looking face.

"Greetings, rebel scum," the officer said, frowning down at them darkly.

Zeb rose a brow and asked, "Who the heck are you?"

Boromir looked over at the Lasat and whispered, "You don't know him?"

"We don't know _every_ guy in the Empire!" Zeb hissed back.

The officer cleared his throat, bringing their attention back to him, "I am Admiral Vankoff of the Galactic Empire."

"Yeah," Ezra abrubtlysaid, rolling his eyes, "We kinda already gotthe idea you were with the Empire. The stormtroopers gave it away."

Vankoff glared at the apprentice, indicating that he should probably shut his mouth before causing any more trouble. Ezra slightlyagreed with him and backedaway a little bit. The eye without the scar was far more threatening that the eye _with_ the  
scar. He didn't like how this admiral guy looked at people. The eye looked even more creepy than a Sith's eye.

Vankoff's mouth curled into a sneer, "I must admit, I would've never imagined coming across rebels as popular as yourselves on a planet like this. Your reputation precedes you." He then mockingly bowed to the crew of _the Ghost_ , "It is an honor to  
actuallymeet you in person."

Kanan glared at him and crossed his arms, "Wishwe could say the same, admiral."

"You have not heard of me, I take it," Vankoff chuckled, "Good. I love looking uponunsuspecting adversaries."

That was never a good sign. Ezra had heard things very similar to that. And usually the enemy always ended up being right. So what was this guy capable of that could pose as a threat? Ezra did notice that he was holding a huge metal stick behind his back,  
which if used hard enough, could possibly do some damage.

Hera stepped beside Kanan and crossed her arms as well, "An Imperial is an Imperial. We've dealt with a whole lot of things the Empire has thrown at us. There's absolutely nothing different about you."

Vankoff's piercing stare rested on the Twi'lek captain, "Ah, Captain Hera Syndulla. You, my dear, are well known. I've read a lot of conflicting Imperial reports about your work. Impressive to say the least."

"Thanks for the 'compliment'," Hera scoffed, "I don't know who you are, but I certainly don't want your so called respect."

The admiral made a 'tssk tssk' sound with his teeth and shook his head, "My my, aren't we a rude bunch." He then made a passive shrug, not seeming tocare, "But no matter. Because either way..I am very sorry to say that I have to kill you all."

While they were talking, Rex took one more glance at the platform and then took a couple steps to the left, behind the Fellowship. He then cleared his throat to get Ezra's attention. The apprentice gave him a questionable look, wondering what the problem  
was. Being careful not to fully move his arm, Rex showed him a small bomb on his belt, and a detonator to activate said bomb. The clone then nodded his head towards the platform.

Ezra rose both of his brows, realizing what the clone had in mind and slowly nodded. Rex then unhooked the bomb and dropped it. Ezra caught it with the Force and made it go under the stairs and towards the platform.

Gandalf then suddenly spoke to the hologram, "Good sir, is an execution really necessary?! We are just travelers that have lost our way. Surely you cannot kill us for just being lost!"

Vankoff laughed, "Travellors you say, grey beard? Travellors don't travel with known fugitives of the Empire. So yes, it is absolutely necessary."

Ezra focused hard on the Force as the little bomb moved closer and closer to the platform. The further it got, however, the more difficult it was to concentrate.

Gandalf's eyes narrowed suspiciously, "How long have your people been here? How have you been hiding right under our noses?"

"You are not in the position to ask questions," Vankoff scoffed, "Now, _rebels_ , do we really have to make this difficult? We can just get this over and done with. I can offer you a quick and easy death. You won't even feel a thing."

Ezra's eyes opened when the bomb successfully attached to one of the platform's pillars. He smirked and nodded to Rex. The clone prepared to press on the detonator.

The apprentice then shouted at the hologram, "Here's our counter proposal, Imperial scum!"

With that being the signal, Rex pressed down on the detonator. Immediately, one of the platform's pillars exploded and a ton of stone came down on the stormtroopers standing there. When that happened, the hologram of Vankoff fizzled out. The stormtroopers  
on the other side of the stairs readied their weapons to fire.

But before they could do so, another roar erupted from the cityonce again, this time causing everything to shake. To the Fellowship's horror, they saw a stone break off from the roof and was falling straight down to the stairs that Aragorn and Frodo  
were still on. It didn't hit them, thankfully, but it did take out a majority of the stormtroopers, except for two, as well as create another gap behind them. The ranger and the hobbit, along with the two soldiers, were trapped on a small piece of  
thr stairway.

And what's worse, the support below wasn't strong enough and the stairs began to tip. Aragorn grasped onto Frodo and told him to hold on. The stairway began to slowly sway back and forth, and they could hear small pieces of stone crumbling off the support.  
One of the two stormtroopers couldn't keep his balance and fell off down into the chasm, screaming. The other trooper tripped and landed flat on his face. His helmet fell off and coincidently rolled off the stairs and landed on the other side where  
the Fellowship was standing.

Everybody's hearts were pounding as they watched. Aragorn helped Frodo keep his balance while trying to not make any bad move that would make the stairs give way.

"Lean forward!" the ranger then told the hobbit.

They both did just that and thankfully the stairs began to tip towards the others. Legolas and Boromir held out their arms to catch them. When the stairs crashed into the other side, Aragorn and Frodo stumbled off. Legolas caught the ranger and the Gondorian  
caught the hobbit. The other stormtrooper fell off into the chasm with the rest of his comrades.

Now with everybody safety on the other side, Gandalf and the Fellowship rushed down the remainder of the stairway. But before Sabine ran after them, she glanced down at the stormtrooper helmet that had fallen by her feet. With a frown, she picked it up  
and carried it with her down the stairs. Ezra saw that she had it under her arm, but why exactly? What was she going to do with it? Paint it? The apprentice hadn't the slightest idea.

When they had finally reached the end of the stairs, the Fellowship came into a room that was mysteriously all up in flames. But they didn't pay much attention to it, for on their left, they saw the Bridge of Khazad-dum just sitting there, waiting. They  
had actually made it. Beyond that bridge was the way out of Moria.

Gandalf pointed to it and for everybody to go ahead of him, "Over the Bridge! Fly!"

Chopper looked back at the old man and beeped. The droid then activated his rockets and began to fly towards the Bridge and over.

Zeb rolled his eyes in annoyance, "He didn't mean to literallyfly, you dumbbell!"

Chopper didn't pay any attention to the Lasat's comment and landed on the other side of the Bridge, waiting for the others to catch up. Gandalf was about to follow, but then he had a strange feeling in his heart. He felt like there was something behind  
him. The wizard slowly turned and looked into the flames.

The first thing he saw was an injured stormtrooper hastily crawling out of the fire. The _Ghost_ crew stopped and looked back at the wizard. Wasn't he coming? What was he looking at? Kanan was about to call out to Gandalf, but then he suddenly froze.  
He felt another disturbance in the Force, and this time it made his hair stand on end. There was something dark in the room with them. And it was coming from where Gandalf was standing.

The stormtrooper was gasping for breath, and the wizard could see his hands were shaking in fear. But then his head shot up. Out of the midst of the flames, a huge monsterous creature appeared. It was black, with wings, and a horned head. And it seemed  
to be engulfed in fire, but it didn't look the least bit bothered by it. The Fellowship's eyes went really wide with terror, especially the crew of _the Ghost_.

This was it. This was the creature that Gandalf had spoken of. The balrog had come at last! The injured stormtrooper turned ontohis back and held out his arms in front of him, screaming in horror. The balrog brought a gigantic burning foot down  
upon him and crushed his head. It then looked at Gandalf and roared, breathing fire from its mouth.

Now Ezra knew fully well why the wizard hadn'twanted to come here in the first place. He was basicallyseeinga demon-like creature! Surrounded by fire!

Rex put away his blasters and shrieked in disbelief, "By the Force, just look at the size of that thing!"

Kanan just nodded, having seen enough, "Now I think is a good time to run." He then looked at the crew and the rest of theFellowship, " _Run_!"

Everybody did just that. They didn't look behind them and just rushed towards the Bridge. Gandalf followed them last. The balrog was slowly giving pursuit. It didn't even need to run. It went after the Fellowship walking, with great strides. Ezra felt  
the ground shake beneath him with every step it took.

What could they do?! Even though they'd be out of Moria, they'd still have the balrog chasing after them. Did Gandalf have any plan to get rid of it? Ezra was _really_ hoping so, especially because all their lives depended on it!

The Bridge of Khazad-dum was dead ahead. The four hobbits were the first to cross over it, followed by Gimli, Legolas, Boromir, the crew of _the Ghost_ , Aragorn, and Gandalf taking up the rear. Ezra didn't like the look of the deep dark chasm below  
the Bridge, but right now the balrog scared him more. None of the Fellowship even minded that the Bridge was narrow and they successfully reached the other side with Chopper.

Except for Gandalf.

Ezra looked back and was surprised the see that the Grey wizard had stopped in the middle of the Bridge. His grip had tightened on both his staff and sword and he had an angry scowl on his face. The balrog had reached the edge of the Bridge, and that  
was when the wizard turned to face it.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf yelled at the beast.

Frodo looked at the wizard, his eyes going wide in horror, "Gandalf!"

The balrog stopped. It looked down at Gandalf and then menacingly rose to its full height. The old man was like a tiny insect compared to this creature! Ezra couldn't believe what he was seeing!

"What's he doing?!" Hera exclaimed, "He's going to get himself killed!"

Aragorn shook his head, agreeing with the Twi'lek, "He can't fight it alone!"

Ezra put both his hands to his mouth and shouted, "Gandalf, come on! We've got to get out of here!"

Gandalf did not pay attention to any of their shouts. His focus was on the balrog standing before him. He rose his staff, which created what looked like a shield around him.

Gandalf pointed his sword at the beast, "I am the Servant of the Secret Fire. Wielder of the Flame of Anor."

The balrog reached down and drawed out what appeared to be a flaming sword and held it high above its head.

"The dark fire will not avail you. Flame of Udun!" Gandalf snapped.

The beast then abrubtly brought its flaming sword down upon the wizard. But miraculously, Gandalf's staff blocked the blow, which brought a crash and a flash of green light. The balrog, realizing its weapon was no match for the old man, dropped its sword  
and roared angrily at Gandalf. Ezra had to admit, he was doing pretty good so far. Even if this was suicude.

Gandalf then glared darkly at his foe and ordered, "Go back to the shadow!"

The balrog had had enough of this old fool's games. It placed one foot onto the Bridge, and then drew out a flaming whip, swinging it over its head. It then slashed a nearby wall with it. Gandalf rose his staff into the air and held it there for the balrog  
to see.

" _You shall not pass_!" he bellowed.

Then, with a great heave, he brought his staff down hard onthe Bridge. There was a huge flash of light and the stone beneath the monster and wizard's feet rumbled. The balrog looked down at the Bridge and snorted at the old man. It was beginning  
to wonder if it was a good idea to fully step on it. It looked Gandalf straight in the eye. He met the creature's gaze evenly, but did not move a muscle.

Ezra wonderedwhat Gandalf had done to the Bridge. That flash had to have done something, but he couldn't tell what. The balrog paused for another moment, but then pressed its foot down harder on the stone. It did absolutely nothing. The balrog gave  
another snort, now convinced the Bridge was completely safe, and began to walk along it.

It rose its whip once more and attempted to attack Gandalf. But no sooner had the balrog taken one step, then the half of the Bridge upon which it stood gave way while the wizard's half remained perfectly intact. The Fellowship looked on in amazement  
as the creature began to fall down into the chasm. He actually defeated it! The balrog roared up at Gandalf as it fell, but the latter just watched, expressionless.

Finally, though, the Greywizard let out a sigh of relief and began to turn away and head back to the others. Ezra smiled and almost laughed. Gandalf had given him quite a scare, and he wanted to tell him never to do something so foolhardy again.  
However, this was Gandalf the Grey they weretalking about. He would do whatever he chose to do.

But nobody ever got the chance to say anything. The balrog suddenly swung its whip, and it wrapped around Gandalf's leg! The wizard was then being pulled down the chasm with it. He seized onto the edge of the Bridge and struggled to hold onto it. Frodo  
cried out in alarm and tried to go up and save his friend, but Boromir stopped him and held him back. It was too dangerous for the Ring Bearer to go up alone.

" _Gandalf!_ " Frodo cried.

So many thoughts were going through Ezra's mind, and he was losing concentration. He had to help the old man! But what could he do?! Gandalf was hanging off of the Bridge, his fingers slowly slipping off of the stone. He looked at all the Fellowship,  
and then straight at Frodo. There was a brief silence between all of them. They didn't even notice a horde of Goblins running towards the Bridge.

"Fly you fools!" Gandalf snapped.

Hesuddenly let go of the Bridge and fell down after the balrog into the deep dark chasm. Ezra's ears were ringing and his face had gone pale in complete shock. The whole Fellowship were feeling the same way. Did they just see this?! Did they just  
see their leader actually die?! Ezra shook his head in disbelief and stumbled back into the wall.

" _Noooooooooooo!"_ he heard Frodo weep, although his voice sounded like itwas many miles away.

Despite the horrid pain in their hearts, the Fellowship then noticed the Goblins standing on the edge of the broken bridge, preparing to fire their arrows in one last attempt to stop the company's escape. Boromir carried a mourning Frodo in his arms and  
ran, followed by everybody else. Although Aragorn still stood there, staring down at the dark chasm in disbelief. The Gondorian turned around and called out the ranger's name.

Aragorn snapped back into reality and dodged the Goblins arrows as he followed the company around the corner and up another set of stairs. They didn't hear the creatures' shrieks of anger nor did they even want to. They didn't care when they finally rushed  
out of Moria and into the bright sunshine. They didn't sigh with relief as fresh air filled their nostrils.

Instead, almost everybody dropped to the ground on the hill they were standing on. Their grief and sorrow came back, and at this moment it was impossible to hide their emotions. They didn't want to believe what they had seen in there, but they knew that  
their eyes didn't deceive them. Gandalf the Grey was dead. There was no way he could survive that fall, especially with the balrog in the mix.

Legolas stood a ways off from the company, just looking down at the ground in grief. He was in a mixture between sadness and disbelief. He had known Gandalf for a long time, and had even been loyal to him over his own people. To now see that he had actually  
fell was the hardest thing for the Elf to realize.

Gimli was feeling sorrow for both his fallen kin in Moria and Gandalf. A dwarf couldn't take sadness, and he tried to replace it with fury. He wanted to go back into the mines andfight the Orcs and Goblins who ruined his home and killed his dwarf  
brethren. Boromir was forced to hold him back. The Gondorian did not show his emotions, but he felt for everybody sitting around him.

Frodo had walked off to the other end of the hill and was just looking off into the distance. His three friends were in tears. Sam sat on top of a rock, burying his face in his hands and sobbing. Merry sat weepingbehind his cousin, who was laying  
on the ground. Pippin had the most tears out of the four hobbits, for he felt like it was his fault that this happened. He should never have messed with that corpse. If he hadn't, it wouldn't have alerted the enemy to their presence and Gandalf would  
probably still be alive right now.

The crew of _the Ghost_ were also taking what had happened pretty hard. Gandalf had been one of the first people they had met when the first came to Middle Earth. To see that he was actually gone was a lot to take in.

Sabine had removed her helmet from her head and threw it down on the ground. She was pretending to be angry, but in reality she was trying to hold back her tears. She all of a sudden collapsed beside Ezra and found herself doing something that a Mandalorian  
rarely did. She cried. She sank her head into Ezra's shoulder and sobbed. The young apprentice wrapped his arm around her, letting a few tears of his own roll down his cheeks.

Zeb sat down on a nearby rock and stared at the ground, wide eyed. The Lasat didn't know why he felt so hurt. He hadn'teven liked the old man that much, but the thought of having him gone just hit him in the gut like a laser bolt.

Chopper, who normally showed no emotion, let out some sad beeps of his own. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had actually respected the wizard, despite being a bit rude to him.

Rex removed his own helmet and bowed his head in respect. It was moments like these when the clone was reminded of the consequences of war. Not everybody would survive. And today they had lost a great soldier. Thinking about Gandalf reminded Rex of all  
the brothers he had lost. They had been his family. His home. To lose such a great friend as the wizard made those memories painful.

Kanan was kneeling on the ground, bowing his head. He was full of grief, but didn't let any tears come out. He just closed his eyes and tried to make peace with Gandalf's passing. The old man had been like a mentor to the Jedi Knight. Kanan had always  
looked to him for guidance ever since they came to Middle Earth. And now he was gone. The wizard had become one with the Force, and Kanan silently wished for him to rest in peace. Hera knelt down beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Aragorn, who was still feeling the pain as much as they were, suddenly said firmly, "Legolas, Kanan, get them up."

Boromir looked at the ranger in disbelief, "Give them a moment, for pity sake!"

"By nightfall these hills will be swarming with Orcs!" Aragorn snapped, pointing to a huge forest in the distance, "We must reach the Woods of Lothlorian." He then said more calmly, "Come Boromir, Legolas, Rex get them up."

Deep down, they knew the ranger was right. Despite this loss, they still had a job to do, and grieving wouldn't bring Gandalf back. Slowly, all of the Fellowship rose to their feet. Aragorn, Kanan, Rex, and Legolashelped the hobbits get up.

The ranger helped Sam up and gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, "On your feet, Sam." He then looked over to the Ring Bearer and called out, "Frodo!"

The hobbit didn't respond, but slowly looked back at them, tears rolling down his cheek. Ezra closed his eyes in pity. He knew how much Gandalf meant to Frodo. Aragorn was about to walk over to help the hobbit, but Hera held up a hand, saying she'd do  
it.

The Twi'lek walked over and knelt down, her face becoming level with the hobbit's. Frodo just looked at her, slightly sniffing. Hera had tears in her eyes too and pulled him into a hug. They sat there for a couple seconds, the others watching. The sun  
may have been out, but there were clouds of sorrow over all of the Fellowship. 

* * *

With the Orcs and Goblins scurrying back into the shadows, the Imperial forces walked up to the Bridge and examined the area. Half of the stone pathway was found missing, making it impossible for any of the stormtroopers to cross over. The only way now  
to get out of Moria was the entrance, which was a four day journey away.

As much as Admiral Vankoff hated to admit it, they weren't going to be able to pursue the enemy. But he didn't count this as a total loss. For now they knew who they were. More importantly, they knew _who_ was with them.

Vankoff brushed off what dust was left on his leather coat and then looked down at the black abyss. He had seen the grey beard fall to his death, much to his pleasure. His superiors would at least be glad to know that. But now there was the problem of  
the Lothal rebels. One way or another, they had to be taken care of, otherwise they could compromise this whole operation.

Vankoff then looked back at Sergeant Scurrow and said, "Inform Command the rebels are in Middle Earth."

Scurrow nodded and then walked off. 

* * *

**Hey guys, I just wanted to let you know that the next chapter posted is actually the ending of this current chapter. I apologize that I couldn't write it on this one. Fanfiction kept on kicking me out, so I kinda had no choice. lol. I hope you allunderstand.**


	33. Chapter 32 Ending

_Isengard..._  
 _  
_

The masked figure stood in the throne room with Saruman the White, listening to the report from a stormtrooper stationed in Moria. The White wizard was sitting in his chair, his scowl growing deeper as he listened. The masked figure wasn't too impressed  
either and just frowned atthe hologram.

He was stunned, though, of the revelation that the Lothal rebels had somehow made it to Middle Earth. It didn't surprise him that they were helping protect the ring. The masked figure would expect nothing less from those stormtrooper  
transmitted a small recording of the rebels in action, fighting with the locals. Saruman's eyes widened and he glanced at the masked figure, demanding an explanation.

The other, though, paid the wizard no mind and just watched the recording. A smile formed on his face behind his helmet. Oh, it was them alright. Herecognized the Twi'lek, the Lasat, and the Mandalorian. But what was also interesting was that he  
also noticed a retired clone trooper fighting with them. When did he come along, he wondered?

The Jedi had definitely changed. The boy, Ezra Bridger, looked older and was equipped with a green lightsaber. The Jedi Knight, Kanan Jarrus, for some reason had some helmet-like thing over his eyes, which the masked figure found very curious. But other  
than that, the rebels hadn't changed too much.

The hologram then went back to the stormtrooper, who called himself Sergeant Scurrow.

"So, I regretfully report, my lord," Scurrow said hesitantly, "that they managed to escape."

The masked figure looked down, "Disappointing." He looked back up at the trooper, "And there were no casualties from the fugitives?"

Scurrow perked up and quickly said, "Actually, sir, there was one. There was a old man with them, a wizard by the look of his attire. He fought the creature but fell into the chasm. And judging by how far it went, it's very evidentthat he didn't  
survive the fall."

Saruman's eyes widened when he heard that. A small cruel smile came to his face. So Gandalf the Grey had indeed met the Balrogof Morgoth. And it had led to his demise. Excellent. That, at least, eliminated one threat and got him closer to getting  
hold of the ring. Saruman had no pity for Gandalf. His old friend had chose his fate, and now he had paid it.

"I see," the masked figure mused, glancing back at the White wizard, "Thank you, Sergeant. Tell Admiral Vankoff to withdraw his forces from Moria. You are needed back in Isengard."

Scurrow nodded, understanding, "Yes sir."

The hologram fizzled out and the masked figure attached the disc to his side.

"Congratulations," he said to Saruman, "Your friend, the Grey wizard, has been taken out of the game. He shall not mess with the Dark Lord's plans anymore."

The White wizard frowned, "That may be so, but now there are these rebels that have been discovered helping the travellors! What threat have you now brought with you?!"

The masked figure rolled his eyes, "If the Lothal rebels had arrived here the same time we did, we would've discovered them, wouldn't you think? No, they must've arrived here recently. Though how, I do not know."

Saruman stood up and began to pace, glaring darkly at his associate, "And now that they're here, they can ruin everything the Dark Lord has worked so hardto build! Your enemies could turn the tide in favor of the White Council!"

The masked figure held up a reassuring hand, "That will not happen. I shall _see_ to it that it won't happen."

"Saying it is one thing," Saruman scoffed, eyeing the other, " _Succeeding_ is another."

"I will succeed," the masked figure insisted, crossing his arms.

The White wizard rose a brow, "And just how do you believe that you will?"

The masked figure let out a small chuckle, "Even though we are allies in this, my lord Saruman, there is one thing that makes the two of us different. Knowledge."

He then reached up to his head and grabbed his helmet.

"You may not know these rebels," he said as he removed his helmet, revealing the pale grinning face of a _very much alive_ Grand Inquisitor, "but I do." 

* * *

**Thanks for reading the chapter, guys. :) I hope you all enjoyed. :) As you can see, I introduced some new characters, Admiral Vankoff and Sergeant Scurrow, into the story. Hope you guys likedthem. :) And yes, we have finally discovered the identity of the masked figure, and it is none other than the Grand Inquisitor! How is he alive? More importantly, how is he in Middle Earth? Now, we just need to find out the identity of the tenth rider, which will be coming very soon. :) Hope you guys enjoyed, and I'll hopefully be back very soon. :)**


	34. Chapter 33

**Here is the actual chapter. lol. Sorry for taking long to update, I'm unfortunately back to being busy with school work. lol. But, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll back soon with the next. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 32: Lady of Light**

Ezra was quiet when the Fellowship left Moria and journeyed into the land beyond. His face was expressionless, making it impossible for anyone to read it. They would've asked what was wrong, but they had a feeling they knew the answer. They were all still grieving over the loss of Gandalf.

With the wizard gone, there was now the fact that a new leader was needed to lead the Fellowship to Mordor. But obviously, Aragorn fitted that description. And the ranger had already taken up that position as soon as Gandalf had fallen into the chasms of Moria. The crew of _the Ghost_ had to smirk at that. Their guide from Bree was now giving them orders once again.

But Aragorn seemed a bit different now than when they first met him. In _The Prancing Pony_ , he had been nothing more than a scruffy and untrustworthy ranger. Yet now, after everything they had been through, Aragorn appeared to have evolved into a wise and courageous leader. No wonder he was destined to be king of Gondor.

The Fellowship soon came upon a very shallow stream, which the ranger ran across and then stopped, looking at the forest that was only a couple miles ahead of them. The others, however, were more interested in sinking their tired feet into the water for a few minutes before joining him. Zeb and the hobbits, having no shoes, seemed to enjoy it the best.

Ezra didn't pay the water any mind, though. He just slowly walked across it, kicking any loose rocks into the stream. Hera noticed his odd behavior and frowned behind his back. She glanced at Kanan, wondering if he knew what was wrong with his apprentice.

Kanan placed a hand on the Twi'lek's shoulder, "He'll tell us. When he's ready."

"I'm worried about him, Kanan," Hera said concerned, "He hasn't said a word ever since we came out of those mines."

Kanan glanced back at his apprentice with pity. Hera was right. He had been awfully quiet since Gandalf's death. But he wasn't the only one. Kanan also noticed that a certain Ring Bearer was quiet as well. The tears were gone, but the soul was torn apart. The Jedi Knight could feel that in both the hobbit _and_ his pupil.

"Neither has Frodo," Kanan muttered, nodding back at the Halfling, "I think I know what they both are thinking."

Hera nodded, although her jaw tightened when her mind thought about that. She too was a bit broken up by what she saw back in Moria. That was unexpected because, being a General, Hera didn't let personal things get to her. But the truth was written all over the Twi'lek's face, as was for the entire Fellowship.

Her next words came out all of a sudden, "What was Gandalf thinking, Kanan?! Why did he have to fight that creature?! Why did he put us through this?! Why did-?!"

Hera found herself unable to say anything else. There was a lot more of those questions she was wanting to ask, but she figured her Jedi friend got the picture.

Kanan sighed sadly, "He did what he had to do, Hera. He saved us all. If it wasn't for him, you can bet that a majority of us wouldn't have made it out of Moria in one piece." He crossed his arms and then spoke firmly, "What we can do though is make sure Gandalf's sacrifice wasn't in vein. He died so we could be one step closer to reaching Mordor and finally destroying the ring."

That was what Gandalf would want them to do. Kanan and Hera knew that as well as Aragorn. Yes, it would be difficult without their dear friend to guide them, but the Fellowship's main priority was Sauron. They couldn't be looking beyond the big picture here, no matter how deep the grief and sorrow was.

Hera had handled such problems before. She remembered Kanan's unexpected capture four years ago. How she was ordered by Ahsoka to let the Jedi Knight go and not lose her focus on the bigger picture of rebellion. If it weren't for Ezra and the rest of her crew, Hera had a feeling that she would've regretfully followed her orders. She had honestly been happy to disobey instructions and rescue Kanan.

She just wished she didn't have to be in that set of mind again. Gandalf knew the risks of the Fellowship, though. If only he hadn't paid the price for it. Nevertheless, Hera would always be grateful to the wizard for sacrificing himself. His death helped all of them live to fight another day.

And it thus allowed the Fellowship to reach the Woods of Lothlorian. When the company had finished cooling off their feet, Aragorn pressed forward. So much as to make all of them sprint towards the forest. Hera understood that Orcs would be on Moria's hills by nightfall, but was a sprint really necessary? Although, she thought it wise not to question their new leader. Aragorn had saved her and her crew once before from those black riders. No point in doubting him now.

When they entered the woods, the crew of _the Ghost_ as well as the hobbits noticed how...different it seemed compared to other forests. Most had a muggy swampy look about them, yet this place had a strange beauty to it. Even Ezra perked up at seeing the sight of it. Chopper, no surprise, grumbled that it wasn't a good idea to go through. Fortunately, Aragorn did not understand nor speak 'Droid.'

Kanan sensed a strange power within these woods. It wasn't dark, he definitely knew that. But it did feel a bit odd to him. He sensed both peace and conflict. Where was it coming from, the Jedi had no clue.

Gimli turned around and quickly beckoned the four Halflings, "Stay close, young hobbits! They say there's a great sorceress that lives in these woods. An Elf-witch of terrible power."

Rex, who had removed his helmet, looked at the dwarf with a raised brow, "A witch? Are you certain?"

"Aye," Gimli nodded in fear, "And a terrifying one at that. Heard so many stories about this place, I did. This witch is said to be one of the most powerful of her kind."

That sparked the clone captain's interest, "Is that so? I'd very much like to meet this witch."

The dwarf abruptly shook his head and grabbed Rex's arm, "Oh no! You be not wanting to do that, lad! This Elf-witch is not to be trifled with. They say that all who look upon her fall under her spell and are never seen again!"

Suddenly, Frodo, who was in front of Sam and Kanan, jerked his head to the right, as if hearing something. The Jedi and the hobbit followed his gaze, but saw nothing. Frodo then fearfully looked to the left, but there was still nothing. Kanan frowned worriedly at the hobbit, as did Sam.

The latter tapped his friend on the shoulder, "Mr. Frodo?"

Frodo seemed to have broken out of whatever trance he was in and glanced back at Sam before walking on.

"See?!" Zeb suddenly blurted out to the rear of the group, "What did I tell you?! These Elves are not to be trusted!"

Legolas looked at the Lasat, offended, "I beg your pardon?"

Zeb rose an apologetic hand, "Um, no offense, Legolas. I'm not referring to you. You're one of the _normal_ ones." He pointed around the forest, "The paler ones, however, send a shiver up my spine."

Hera groaned, "Oh Zeb, you're overreacting! You don't even know what these Elves look like!"

"I don't have to," the Lasat replied, pointing at Gimli, "Shorty, here, is the one who said there was a bloody witch in this forest!"

The dwarf grumbled angrily at that comment. He wasn't really fond of being called 'shorty.'

"So? What does that prove?" Hera questioned, "That she's dangerous?"

Zeb looked at her in disbelief and pointed at Gimli again, "What part of 'all who look upon her fall under her spell' did you not understand?! Is that not proof enough?!"

"But perhaps she can be reasoned with," Kanan pointed out, "We're not here to pick a fight with anybody."

Aragorn nodded in agreement, "Kanan is right. There is nothing to fear here. We can seek sanctuary with the Elves of Lorien."

If the ranger did not fear the forest, then that was enough to set most of the Fellowship's minds at ease. They had already escaped a balrog, and the last thing they wanted to deal with was a witch. Zeb, however, was still not convinced.

He whispered to Kanan and Hera, "If I get the slightest feeling that I'm being put under a trance, I'm getting out of here!"

The Twi'lek glared at the Lasat and elbowed him in the rib. Zeb didn't pay attention, though, and just continued walking.

Gimli gave a confident smirk, "Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily! I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!"

But when the dwarf stopped his boasting, he all of a sudden found his face merely a couple inches away from the tip of an arrow, pointing straight at him. He stared at it, wide eyed and gulped. Nobody else had time to react because suddenly a host of individuals emerged from behind the trees. They were equipped with bows and had their arrows at the ready.

Legolas quickly took out his bow and pointed it at the newcomers. But he couldn't shoot due to basically being surrounded. The crew of _the Ghost_ made an attempt to take out their weapons, resulting in arrows being moved closer to their necks.

"Nice work, fox," Zeb mumbled sarcastically to Gimli.

Nobody paid attention to the Lasat's comment. They just glared darkly at their captors and held their hands up in the air, surrendering. Hera noticed Aragorn, though, didn't look bothered. The Twi'lek took a closer look at the newcomers and saw that they had pointy ears. She realized they were Elves.

That made a whole lot more sense now. And when the rest of the Fellowship realized it too, they looked slightly relieved. Except for Gimli, of course. They lowered their hands, and when one of the Elves stepped forward, he had the rest of his people put down their weapons.

The Elf, who was apparently the leader of the group, glanced at all the members of the company with a raised brow. His gaze stayed the longest on Zeb and Hera. The Twi'lek and the Lasat met his gaze evenly, though their fists clenched tighter the longer he stared at them.

Finally, the Elf looked down at Gimli and spoke in a mocking tone, "The dwarf breaths so loud, we could've shot him in the dark."

Gimli glared at him and growled in anger. The crew of _the Ghost_ glanced at each other and slightly smirked.

Quite a welcome this was.

* * *

The Fellowship, surrounded by the party of Elves, were escorted deeper into the forest of Lothlorian. Though they didn't see the company as a threat, Sabine and Ezra noticed that they had their bows by their side. Neither of the two knew if they did so in case Orcs showed up, or if they didn't really trust them.

Nevertheless, the company moved along quietly, not wanting any trouble from the Elves. It wasn't hard for Sabine to notice how much Gimli didn't like them. The dwarf just continued grumbling to himself and shot dirty looks at the Elf soldiers beside him. They paid him no mind, however, and it almost seemed like they were ignoring him on purpose. Their heads were slightly raised up and they had a look of pride on their faces.

Sabine just sighed. She would never understand why the Dwarves and Elves hated each other so much. It was bad enough that Gimli and Legolas had argued a lot ever since they started this journey, but now with even _more_ Elves in the mix, the Mandalorian had a feeling they would have one heck of a time here in these woods.

They soon came to a group of tall trees that went up a good ways. Sabine noticed that on said trees were tons of large platforms that were cleverly concealed by the leaves and branches on top. The Elf leader waved his hand up to one of the platforms, and immediately a rope was tossed down. He then told the Fellowship to follow him up, to which they obeyed without hesitation.

The crew of _the Ghost_ had no problem climbing up the rope. Unfortunately, Zeb was the slowest out of all of them because he had to carry Chopper on his back. The Elves didn't know what the metal object was, but they didn't trust it to climb up alone. And none of the other members of the Fellowship could hoist him up, so the Lasat got the short end of the stick.

When they finally reached the platform, Zeb purposely dropped Chopper on his side. The astromech got up and beeped a ton of insults at him, but the Lasat's only response was slapping him on the dome.

The company then sat down and relaxed while Aragorn and Legolas negotiated with the Elf leader. Nobody understood what they were saying, though, because they were speaking in Elvish. All they could make out was that the leader's name was Haldir. All three of them seemed to be on friendly terms.

Haldir nodded at Legolas with a smile and said in Elvish, " _Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil_."

The latter smiled and answered back, " _Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lorien_."

Haldir then looked at the ranger and exclaimed with a slight bow, " _Ah, Aragorn of the Dunedian, you are known to us._ "

Aragorn bowed back, "Haldir."

Gimli, who was growing tired of not understanding what they were saying, spoke up in a rather rude tone of voice.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves! Speak words we can all understand!" he grumbled.

Haldir looked over at him in disgust, and answered biterly, "We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the dark days."

Gimli didn't seem to care about how he talked to him, and replied just as biterly, "And you know what this dwarf says to that? Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!"

Haldir stepped back, looking both shocked and angry by what he just said. Zeb looked between the two, confused.

He then leaned over to Legolas and whispered, "What did he say?"

The Elf looked just as offended by what Gimli said. But when he finally got over it, he whispered into the Lasat's ear and translated. When he was done, Zeb's jaw dropped in bewilderment and he glanced at Gimli, wide eyed. Aragorn turned around and slapped his hand on the dwarf's shoulder.

"That was not so courteous!" the ranger snapped at him.

The crew of _the Ghost_ had never been rude to Gimli, but if he said one more word, they all would no doubt tell him to shut up. This was not the time nor place to start picking fights with people, especially the Elves. Fortunately, Gimli kept his mouth shut after Aragorn scolded him.

Haldir then noticed the four hobbits that were standing behind the Fellowship. His eyes went from Sam, to Merry, to Pippin, and finally Frodo. When he gazed upon him, Sabine had a feeling that he knew the Halfling carried the ring. His next words confirmed her suspicions.

"You bring great evil with you," Haldir said sternly, and slightly fearfully. He then looked at Aragorn, "You can go no further."

The Elf then walked off, but Aragorn immediately walked after him. All of the Fellowship looked at Frodo, not sure what to say. Haldir wasn't wrong. Frodo indeed carried great evil with him. But now that the Elves were basically preventing them from leaving because of said evil, they didn't know what to do.

As Aragorn and Haldir stood away from them, having a quiet argument in Elvish, they all spread out along the platform and just sat in silence. Some of them were by themselves, others just quietly talked to each other.

The _Ghost_ crew sat together. Although, they didn't have too much to say. So many thoughts were running through their heads, and it was honestly a bit overwhelming. None of them had ever imagined this journey to be quite as hard and dangerous as it had been. So much pain and suffering all because they were trying to take this little ring to Mordor and cast it into the fires of Mount Doom.

The crew found themselves glancing over at Frodo quite often. And they weren't the only ones. Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, and Legolas looked over at him as well. But when Frodo met their gaze, they immediately turned away. Boromir sat across from the hobbit in silence.

However, Sabine then saw the Gondorian say something to him, although she couldn't make out what it was. For some reason, the Mandalorian then found herself looking down at one of the bags she had been carrying. Well, not exactly the bag itself. She was actually staring at the stormtrooper helmet she had stolen and put _in_ the bag.

Sabine frowned at it and picked it up, examining it for no particular reason. She, like the rest of her friends, was still a bit shocked about learning that the Empire was in Middle Earth. And she didn't get _how_ they could be. It didn't make sense. There were pieces missing to this puzzle that needed to be solved as soon as possible.

Zeb noticed the Mandalorian holding the helmet and rose a brow, "Why did you steal that thing, anyways?"

Sabine flipped it upside down and replied, "To get answers."

Kanan frowned, "What do you mean?"

The Mandalorian tapped her finger on the helmet, "Every stormtrooper helmet is equipped with a transmitter. It's protocol to keep every single transmission on record in case any soldier defected from the Empire."

Zeb shrugged, not getting it, "So what does that have to do with anything?"

Rex's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers, "You think you can listen to their past transmissions!"

Sabine nodded, "It requires a lot of work, but I think, with Chopper's help, I can start listening to everything that's happened in the past who knows how many years."

Kanan smiled, impressed, "Finally! Some good news! Maybe this'll help us learn how the Empire got here."

"That might have to wait, for now," Hera replied, nodding over to Aragorn and Haldir, "I have a feeling that when those two finish their chat, we'll be on the move again."

Zeb snorted and leaned back, "Of course."

To everyone's surprise, Ezra made no comment to anything they had been saying. Sabine studied the young apprentice, and saw him just staring off into space, lost in thought. She exchanged glances with Rex, to which the clone just shook his head in pity. None of them had any idea of how to cheer him up.

Ezra then winced in pain and clutched his injured arm.

Hera placed a hand on the young Jedi's shoulder and forced a smile, "Ezra, why don't you let Sabine take a look at that. It could probably use some bandages."

Ezra blinked and looked at the Twi'lek, "Huh?" When he finally processed what she had said, he slowly nodded, "Oh yeah, sure."

Sabine shot Hera a questionable look. Why did she have to patch him up? The Twi'lek captain just gave her a small nod, and then the Mandalorian understood what she was doing. Whatever was bothering Ezra, the crew knew he wasn't going to tell them. But ever since they had been in Middle-Earth, Sabine had developed a deep bond with the apprentice. If there was anyone who could get through to him right now, it'd probably be her.

Sabine stood up, grabbed a med-pack, and lightly smiled at Ezra, "We can do this away from the group, if you'd like."

Ezra nodded and then stood up, walking off to a lone corner of the platform. Once he sat down, Sabine rolled back his sleeve and examined the wound. The Goblin arrow had really got the Jedi good. Most of his arm had healed, but it still needed medical attention. Sabine took out a couple bandages, and began to carefully wrap it around Ezra's arm. He flinched a couple times, but the blank expression on his face didn't change.

Kanan had definitely taught him well in disguising his emotions. That was one Jedi way Sabine would never fully understand. Ezra had picked that trait up almost too quickly. In the Mandalorian's point of view, however, emotions should be expressed. Her family were no strangers to expressing how they felt. That had been both a good thing and bad thing at the same time.

Sabine had never seen any problem with her family expressing their emotions when trying to ensure peace between other clans. But when they did it to her, on the very day when they turned against her, it had torn her apart. Sabine wished that day had turned out differently, but things never worked out the way people wanted them to. It was a shame, really.

The longer Ezra remained silent, the more uncomfortable Sabine felt. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. She needed to get through to him somehow, but she was slightly afraid of how he'd react. But maybe Hera was right. She might be the only one he'd talk to right now.

Sabine cleared her throat as she finished with the bandages, "Well, that should do it." She then lightly punched him in the other arm, "You'll be back to yourself before you know it."

Ezra didn't respond. He just stared at the forest before him. Sabine looked down and muttered something under her breath. This wasn't going to be easy.

Sabine then chuckled and said, "Have you heard Gimli's babbling? He actually thinks there's a witch in this forest. But this place hasn't seemed that bad, despite the earlier escort."

Still, Ezra didn't say anything. This was really getting awkward.

"Whoever's in charge, I don't think it's a witch, as he claims," the Mandalorian pointed out, with a shake of her head.

To no surprise, the young apprentice still didn't respond. Sabine knew cheering him up was now out of the question. It was time to get to the heart of the matter.

Sabine placed her hand on top of his, "Ezra, please talk to me. You know we are all here for you. We're a family."

Finally, Ezra quietly spoke, "How many more times, Sabine?"

She blinked, "What?"

Ezra looked at her, sadness in his eyes, "How many more times will someone that I look up to die?"

Sabine sighed and looked back down. She knew that had to be one of the questions. The last time she had seen Ezra this upset was when he and Kanan had returned from Malachor.

Now it was Moria.

"Ezra," she comfortingly said, "you can't think like that."

"Can't I?!" Ezra asked, burying his face in his hands, "It's the truth! There have been so many people in my life. So many that I had considered a mentor. And they all have died."

Sabine shook her head, "Ezra Bridger, that is not true and you know it. Hera's still alive and so is Kanan. They have always been your friends and mentors since the beginning. And they're not dead, are they?"

"Yet," Ezra mumbled, "But what about my parents? What about Ahsoka? They're gone! And now Gandalf too!"

The apprentice clenched his fists and tried to hold back his tears. Sabine couldn't help but feel for him. He had a point. Almost every single mentor he had had died at the most unexpected of times. She remembered Ezra telling her of how his parents had spoke out against the Empire through secret messages. They had been trying to teach their son to stand up for what was right, just like what they were doing. But then the Imperials had discovered them, taking them away before Ezra ever had the chance to say goodbye.

Ahsoka Tano, one of Ezra's close mentors, had tried to teach both him _and_ Kanan the ways of the Force, although she was no longer a Jedi. When a problem arose, involving the Empire's Inquisitors hunting them across the galaxy, the three Jedi had decided to find a way to destroy the Sith. Their answers led to Malachor, where Dark-Side wielders like Darth Maul and Darth Vader awaited. A duel broke out between Vader and Ahsoka, resulting in the Torgruta's apparent death. The entire rebellion had grieved over her death, especially Ezra.

Sabine had never thought she'd see the day when he got over Ahsoka's death. And she had hoped beyond hope that he would never have to lose another mentor again.

How cruel fate was.

The Mandalorian wrapped her arm around Ezra, "I know. And we all feel the same pain you're feeling. I miss Gandalf too, as well as Ahsoka. Death is not an easy thing to get over." Her expression darkened as she thought back to her past. "Trust me, I know what that feels like."

Ezra looked at her and found it easy to read her mind, "From your days at the Imperial Academy?"

Sabine nodded, biting her lip, "And even beyond that. Specifically during my days fighting alongside Ketsu."

Living two lives had been hard for the Mandalorian at first. She had gone from being an Imperial, then to a bounty hunter seeking to be part of the Black Sun Clan. But when she finally became a rebel, she had found her past to be shameful. So she had spent every day since then to become better. To achieve something that was actually meaningful. She wanted to be the warrior that her family would never expect her to be.

Ezra tilted his head, "How did you get over all of that?"

Sabine shrugged and confessed, "Honestly, some of it, I haven't gotten over yet. But I try to keep it in the deepest darkest corner of my mind. I'd rather fight the good fight than dwell on my past failures."

Ezra nodded, and sighed, "I hope you know that you are a good person, Sabine. You are not who you used to be, I can promise you that." He then slightly grinned, "When I first saw you, there was nothing about you that felt wrong. You are one of the bravest and most honorable fighter I have ever met."

The Mandalorian looked at him a bit baffled. She found herself once again touched by the young Jedi's words. And strangely, it actually made her feel good inside.

She laughed in disbelief and punched him in the shoulder again, "I can't believe this! I come over here to try and cheer you up, and you end up being the one to cheer _me_ up."

"Naturally," Ezra remarked teasingly.

Sabine then smiled at him, "You're a good person too, Ezra. I'm sure your parents would be proud of the man you've become."

Ezra smiled back at her, "Thanks. That really means a lot."

They would've continued their conversation, but just then, they noticed that the rest of the Fellowship had rose to their feet. The Jedi and Mandlorian followed suite and looked over to see Haldir looking at all of them.

"You will follow me," he said.

* * *

The company found this escort to be not as hostile. Aragorn and Legolas's negotiations with Haldir had paid off. Ezra could see that the Elves didn't look so stiff and solemn anymore like when they first escorted them through the forest.

The apprentice wondered where they were going. He guessed that they were probably going to see the supposed "witch leader" of Lorien, but why the long travel? All he had seen was trees and more trees. What else could be waiting for them within these woods? Haldir wasn't much of a conversationalist, unfortunately. Despite this, Ezra found himself enjoying the fresh air once again. He loved the feeling of the sun on his skin and the smell of fresh leaves and grass filling his nostrils. It was a far better feeling than the dark, cold, dirty smell of Moria.

That ancient Dwarf Kingdom was not pleasant. Gimli's descriptions of it had not lived up to its actual appearance. Now it was a Goblin/Orc infested pit. And it was one of the places Ezra swore he'd never visit again. Too much bad things happened down there during their four day journey. Even though he was starting to feel a little better, Gandalf's death still bothered him. And it would continue to bother him for a great majority of this journey.

Ezra couldn't remember how many times he had reminded himself never to let his friends get hurt again. Yet, it always happened. Every death he witnessed made him feel like he was breaking his promise. That was probably one of the reasons why he had been so hard on himself for the past few hours. He had almost lost hope that he could protect people who were closest to him. But thanks to Sabine, he felt better about himself. Hopefully that could keep him going until they finally destroyed that blasted ring.

Ezra then reminded himself to not dwell on the past for now. His friends needed him in the present. And the deeper the Fellowship went into the forest, the more they noticed things around them were slowly starting to change. Ezra all of a sudden felt a slight change in the Force. He thought he could sense a _very_ powerful magic getting closer. It was still far off, but every step the apprentice took made him feel like he was getting closer to the source of this power.

The company thought that the trees couldn't get more beautiful, but they were wrong. They could've sworn that the trees they were walking through now looked far more stunning than the trees at the entrance of the forest. Ezra was starting to get the feeling that Elves would inhabit any beautiful place they could find. Were there any more Elven Kingdoms, he wondered? No doubt. Only time would tell if he'd ever actually lay his eyes upon them.

It was by sunset when the Fellowship finally reached the middle of Lothlorian. Haldir stopped on top of a hill and gazed at the horizon. The others joined him and followed his gaze. They saw a wide, treeless space that went on for a good long ways, except for the very middle. At the center of this treeless gap were trees that were even more higher than what they had seen beforehand. And the sight of them was stunning! Ezra could see that the branches on these trees were lit with gold, silver, green, and blue lamps that shined dimly in the sunset light. It was, without a doubt, beautiful.

Even Gimli's eyes widened in awe at the sight of it. The young Jedi guessed the dwarf was having a difficult time believing that the Elves lived in such a fantastic place.

"Caras Galadhon," Haldir announced proudly, beaming at the kingdom, "the heart of Elvendom on earth. Home of the Lord Celeborn, and of Galadriel, Lady of Light."

Now that they had seen this place from a distance, most of the Fellowship was eager to see the inside of it. After Haldir had said those words, he began to descend the hill, heading towards Caras Galadhon. Everybody eagerly followed. Gimli, however, still stood on the hill in deep shock. Ezra noticed him still standing up there and walked back to him. He smirked at the dwarf and patted him on the shoulder.

"You know," the young apprentice whispered, "I listened to him talking and...I don't think I heard anything about a witch."

Gimli gave him an annoyed look and simply huffed before following the others down the hill. Ezra did the same, although quietly chuckling.

They reached Caras Galadhon by nightfall. And when they finally entered the kingdom, they found themselves enchanted with it. There was a silvery glow to this place. It cast a unique, yet amazing, light on the trees. It almost felt like Rivendell, except more peaceful. Ezra could hear the sound of running water, and it made him just want to close his eyes and smile. What a relief it was to finally come across a beautiful place again. Dealing with the bitter coldness of Caradhras and the dark creepiness of Moria had been more than enough for the Fellowship to handle so far. They deserved a rest.

Haldir then led them to the tallest tree within the forest. A glimmering staircase went around the tree and up to the highest and largest _talan_ in Lothlorien. Slowly, the company, led by Haldir, treaded up said stairs. The beauty around them was a lot to process. They welcomed the warm peaceful feeling in their hearts when they gazed upon it.

Ezra traced his hand along the tree, and just felt his fingertips go along the smooth bark. All of his sadness had been put away at the moment. His heart had been taken by the kingdom. It had made him calm and focused. Zeb, who had earlier claimed to not fall under any enchantment within the forest, seemed less tense now as well. The Lasat had his hand on his bo-rifle for most of the walk, but he had now moved his hand away and just looked around him. A small smile came to his lips and he exhaled, letting all the tightness in his muscles soften.

After a few minutes, the Fellowship finally reached the top. Haldir halted and pointed up at a smaller staircase. They all looked up, but found their eyes to be blinded by a bright white light. Ezra squinted his eyes and tried to see what was going on. He thought he could make out two figures descending the stairs, hand in hand. The longer the Jedi looked, the more he could see their attire. They were dressed in beautiful robes that went all the way to the ground. Ezra could also see that one figure was a man, and the other a woman. Well, to be more specific, an Elf-man and Elf-woman.

Merry and Pippin bowed their heads in respect, as did Legolas and Aragorn. Everybody else just stared, wide-eyed. The light finally dimmed, and Ezra could see the faces of the two figures. The Elf-man had a serious, yet kind face. He had the look of a powerful and wise leader. Ezra figured that he was the Lord Celeborn that Haldir had mentioned earlier. The Elf-maiden was very beautiful. Soft blonde hair hung behind her back. She was dressed in a bright white robe. Her eyes were soft and kind, yet had the same look of wisdom and seriousness. And her face was a face that Ezra would never forget. This was the Lady Galadriel.

When the crew of _the Ghost_ and the rest of the company snapped back into reality, they remembered their manners and bowed before the two Elves. Ezra had his eyes closed, but he could feel Galadriel's eyes look at each of them. Her gaze first went to all of the residents of Middle Earth, but then her eyes rested upon the young Jedi and his friends. The rest of the crew seemed to have felt it too and they all had a urge to look up at her. They did so, and when they gazed into her eyes, she smiled warmly at them.

"Welcome, strangers from beyond the stars," Galadriel said in a kind voice. She then surprisingly said their names as she looked at them, "Sabine Wren, Garezeb Orrilious, Hera Syndulla, Rex, Ezra Bridger, Chopper, and Kanan Jarrus."

The crew was a bit bewildered. How had she known their names?! This Elf-woman must be one of great power if she knew such things. Chopper, though, seemed happy to be included for once. Droids were usually ignored.

Celeborn then spoke to the entire Fellowship, although his voice seemed more sad and worried, "The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you have had in secrecy is now gone."

That lowered everybody's spirits, and they looked down in dread. Ezra had suspected that Sauron and Saruman would expect them to enter Lothlorien, but he had hoped they wouldn't have discovered it so soon. Were they safe then? Yes, probably so. Ezra figured those two wouldn't attack such a powerful place as this. Well, at least he hoped they wouldn't.

Celeborn then looked around in confusion, "15 there are here, yet 16 there were that set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar."

Aragorn's expression darkened and his eyes went back down to the ground. He did not wish to speak of Gandalf's whereabouts, for he didn't anybody else to suffer the same grief the entire company was suffering. However, when Galadriel looked at the ranger, she had already seemed to figure out what the answer was. Her eyes went wide and her expression saddened.

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land. He has fallen into shadow," she said aloud.

Ezra's eyes narrowed in curiosity. It seemed like she had read Aragorn's mind. But that was impossible, though...wasn't it? The Fellowship knew that they couldn't keep the truth from them. Legolas stepped forward and spoke for all of them.

"He was taken by both shadow and flame," the Elf said gravely, "A balrog of Morgoth, for we went needlessly into the net of Moria."

Gimli lowered his head in grief at the mention of his cousin's home. The memories of all those dead bodies filled his mind, the worst being the tomb of Balin. The dwarf leaned forward on his axe and sighed. Galadriel and Celeborn looked shocked at hearing of Gandalf's death, though they still appeared calm. The Lady of Lorien closed her eyes, processing what she had heard.

She finally opened her eyes again and shook her head, "Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose." Her eyes then fell upon the sad dwarf and she smiled with pity, "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your heart, Gimli, son of Gloin." He looked up at her as she continued. "For the world has grown full of peril, and in all lands love is now mingled with grief."

When Galadriel finished saying those words, she looked over at Boromir. The Gondorian suddenly lifted up his head and stared into her eyes. Ezra rose a brow at him. It seemed like he was struggling. But..why? The young Jedi saw tears begin to roll down Boromir's face. The man then began to weep and immediately turned his head away from the Elf. Ezra exchanged glances with Sabine, wondering what that had been about. The Mandalorian shrugged, but looked at Boromir, worriedly.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship?" Celeborn asked the company, "Without Gandalf, hope is lost."

No, Ezra refused to believe that. From his experience with the crew of _the Ghost_ , there was always hope. Heck, rebellions were built on hope! If they had managed to fight the Empire on Lothal for so long, then they could surely take down Sauron.

"The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife," said Galadriel said solemnly, "Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all."

Those words grabbed Ezra's attention all of a sudden. He frowned up at the woman. What she had said sounded...familiar. It wasn't those exact words, but the apprentice felt like he had been warned of that before. Wait. That was the same thing Yoda had said to him in his vision! Surly that couldn't have been a coincidence.

Galadriel's expression lightened and she slowly looked at all of the Fellowship, "Yet, hope remains, while the company is true." She smiled, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight, you will sleep in peace."

That indeed put their minds at ease. For a peaceful rest was what they all needed right now. Ezra was certain that the arrangements would be to their liking. He didn't care where he slept because he felt safe here. Before they left, however, he noticed that Galadriel was staring at some of the members of the company for a good while.

Finally, after the brief pause, the company was dismissed, tired and ready for a good sleep.

* * *

The crew of _the Ghost_ found the sleeping arrangements different, but still welcome. They were given a nice spot on the soft grass beneath one of the large trees. Normally, people like Zeb and Sam would object to such things, but none of them complained. This forest was very different, and they found it a pleasure to sleep under. The Fellowship made camp right below the tree. The four hobbits took out their soft mats and blankets and sprawled them out on the ground. Gimli didn't care how he set up his own bed. He just abruptly threw down a mat and collapsed on it, closing his tired eyes.

While the dwarf instantly fell asleep, the rest of the Fellowship took their time to take out their belongings. Aragorn sharpened his sword while Zeb, Hera, and Rex attended to their weapons. Kanan and Legolas walked along the open grass, thinking to themselves. Ezra did nothing and just leaned back, looking up at the trees. Chopper, who didn't want to help out with anything, purposely shut himself down. Nobody could wake him up, much to Hera's aggravation. Fortunately, Sabine had gotten the astromech's help in accessing the stormtrooper helmet beforehand. She had been sitting down for a couple hours since then, listening to Imperial transmissions. Boromir, meanwhile, walked far off to another tree and just sat there alone.

Kanan had a lot on his mind. Everything that had transpired over the past few days had a big impact on him. The ruin of Moria. The Empire surprisingly being here. The balrog. Gandalf's death. Lothlorien. All of it had not been easy for him. Loss and confusion all rolled into one. Kanan was confused mainly by the Lady Galadriel. A fair woman, to be sure, but a mysterious one too. There was something about her that gave the Jedi Knight mixed feelings. He couldn't put his finger on it. The Force sent so many messages to his mind.

But it wasn't just the Force.

Kanan didn't know whether he should say anything or not, but he had heard a voice inside his head when they had entered Caras Galadhon. _Galadriel's_ voice. He didn't know how, but she had somehow spoke to him in his mind. He wasn't imagining anything, he knew that. Besides, Jedi did not suffer from hallucinations unless it was a test or the work of the Dark Side. Kanan definitely doubted Galadriel was a Sith, though. But still, the voice in his head troubled him. She had surprisingly known so much about him, and he hadn't even met her before!

 _"I know who you are, Caleb Dume,"_ she had said to him back on the _talan_. He had reacted with shock, but she then laughed in his head, _"Do not be alarmed. You will find no trouble with me. Your story and secrets are safe with me. You have travelled far, Master Jedi."_

Kanan had then responded back through his mind, _"Forgive me, but I do not go by the title of Master."_

Galadriel had smiled at him, _"I think we both know that's not true."_

Kanan knew that there was nothing that he could hide from her. She knew everything. She knew his past, his mistakes, and his deepest darkest secrets. And yet she still looked upon him with kindness.

 _"Why are you telling me all this?"_ he had then asked her.

Galadriel gave him a hard look and said, _"Who you were does not matter anymore. What does matter is who you are now. You made a wise decision in helping the Ring Bearer in his Quest. Only a true leader would be brave enough to do such a dangerous thing."_ She smiled again, although slightly sad, _"You may not admit it, but you, like the rest of your companions, still grieve over the loss of Gandalf. Believe me, Caleb Dume, I too mourn for him in my heart. But do not let his passing change your mind about helping this Fellowship. They, as well as your friends, still need that brave leader. They need Kanan Jarrus."_

She was right. Kanan knew that what she had said was true. Jedi had been trained to bury their emotions, for the fear of loss was a path to the Dark Side. But that didn't mean that the emotion wasn't there. Kanan had tried so hard to accept Gandalf's passing, but in reality, with the wizard gone, he had been wondering how they could go on in the Quest. Aragorn was the new leader, but that didn't mean he couldn't have help.

Galadriel had not said anything else to him after that, but her words had still lingered in Kanan's mind all this time.

Just then, the Jedi was taken out of his train of thought when a beautiful melody filled the air. Legolas stopped too, and looked up. Those were Elves singing, alright. And it was coming from the top of the trees. The others heard it too, and just listened for a few minutes without any comment.

Legolas finally recognized what it was, "A lament to Gandalf."

Merry rose a curious brow, "What do they say about him?"

"I have not the heart to tell you," Legolas replied sadly, "for me the grief is still too near."

The hobbit didn't bother to press the question. He too agreed with the Elf, as did every member of the Fellowship. The Elves were kind enough to give this lament to Gandalf, and it was very nice to listen to.

"Bet they don't mention his fireworks," Sam remarked as he finished setting his bed, "They should do verses about them."

That brought Kanan memories of when they first came to Middle Earth. When they had arrived at Hobbiton, the first thing they ever saw was Gandalf's fireworks shooting into the air.

"I remember those," Rex commented, adjusting one of his twin blasters, "They were indeed very impressive from what I saw of them." He then chuckled, "I also remember Zeb ducking for cover at the sight of them."

The Lasat, who was putting down his bo-rifle, sighed annoyingly, "Oh, you just _had_ to bring that up, didn't you?"

Ezra joined in the laugh, "That was hilarious. Zeb, you should've seen the look on your face when they burst and you realized what they actually were."

Zeb clenched his fist and showed it to the young Jedi, "I'll burst you if you don't shut up!"

Rex and Ezra just laughed, not looking the least bit threatened. However, after a few minutes, the laughter died down and things became quiet again.

"Actually," Sam suddenly said, "That's not a bad line." He then stood up and began to say a verse that he made up at the top of his head, " _The finest rockets ever seen. They burst into stars of blue and green-_ "

Everybody heard snoring come out of nowhere, and they looked back and saw it was Gimli. Aragorn frowned disappointedly at him and slapped him awake.

" _And after that,_ " Sam continued, " _silver showers...came falling like a...ray of flowers._ " He then sat down and shook his head, "Oh that doesn't do any justice at all."

Hera smiled at the hobbit and nodded her head, "Actually, I think it does, Sam. That was very beautiful."

Sam looked at her and smiled back, although a bit shyly, "Thank you, Miss Hera."

After putting down his sword, Aragorn then stood up and took a walk around the area. None of the others asked where he was going, and instead began to relax. Sleep was starting to come over them. However, Hera noticed that Kanan was still walking about as well. The Jedi Knight had his hands folded behind his back, and his head was lowered in thought. The Twi'lek got up and walked beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You should get some rest, love," she said quietly, "We've all earned it."

Kanan shrugged, "Eh, maybe later. I think I might just need some time to myself."

Hera frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, "Uh oh."

Kanan turned around and faced her, "Uh oh what?"

The Twi'lek rose a brow and tilted her head, "When you ask for alone time, that usually means something's bothering you."

Kanan sighed. At least Hera was no mind reader like Galadriel. Although, if she were in the Elf's place, she'd probably be ten times better at the job. Hera knew him too well, and it was as impossible to keep secrets from her as it was with Galadriel. And Kanan knew he could tell her anything. That was one of the reasons why they were such a great team.

"Nothing's necessarily bugging me," he finally said, "I'm just thinking about what Galadriel said to me."

Hera looked confused, "What do you mean? She didn't say anything to you. I was there, I saw everything."

Kanan held up a hand and let out a slight laugh, "Okay, this might sound a little crazy, but somehow, someway, she was able to speak to me in my head. And she knew a lot of things about me."

Both of Hera's brows raised when she heard that, "Wait, seriously? What all did she know?"

Kanan shrugged, "Basically the same amount of stuff that you already know." He then made a passive wave with his hand, "But that all doesn't matter now. She's put me back on track and everything's fine."

Now it was Hera's turn to hold up her hand, "Wait a minute. What do you mean by 'back on track?'"

Kanan wanted to kick himself, but he knew he couldn't turn back now. He had already said too much. He had to tell the truth to somebody.

The Jedi Knight knelt on the ground, and Hera followed suite. But she kept on staring at him, waiting for a response. She wasn't going to stop asking until he started talking. Kanan reassured himself that he needed to do this, so he finally said it.

"After Gandalf fell, I was starting to lose faith in this Quest," he said regretfully, "Well, more than that, actually. I was beginning to lose faith in keeping all of you safe. You're the only family I've got, and when I saw the wizard fall into the abyss, I felt afraid. I felt like..."

He paused, not sure why he couldn't bring himself to say the next words.

"Like what, Kanan?" Hera asked softly.

Kanan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I felt like the coward I was when I abandoned my master and the rest of the Jedi Order. I lost hope. And I was wanting to run. Run from this Quest. Run from this planet. Run from _everything_. I wanted to get all of you as far away from this as possible."

He felt ashamed to admit it. Hera could tell that he felt guilty over that. But despite hearing what he had said, it didn't change her opinion of him. He was still the greatest friend she had ever known. And it was touching that he could actually be honest with her about how he felt. Without saying a word at first, Hera pulled Kanan into a tight embrace. The Jedi just held her there in his arms and couldn't say anything.

"Kanan," Hera said reassuringly, "It's human to be afraid. There is absolutely nothing to feel ashamed about. I understand how you feel. When I saw Gandalf die, I even questioned the purpose of this journey too." She then pulled back and ran her hand along his cheek, "But you know what changed my mind?" She pointed around her, "Our friends and their homes. I thought about what would happen to them if we didn't try to finish this. I thought about how their homes would burn and their families be slaughtered by the evil of Mordor. That's when I remembered who I was. A rebel. A rebel fighting for the people. Fighting for what was right. For freedom. Like you told me, Gandalf's death won't be in vein. We _will_ destroy the ring. We _will_ return to our home. We _will_ save these people."

They both looked at each other for a few seconds. But finally, Kanan nodded and smiled at her. They couldn't say anything else, but no more words needed to be said. Then, they both heard somebody running. They looked to their right and saw Sabine rushing up to them.

"Hey," the Mandalorian said, pointing back, "I found something that I think you might want to listen to."

Kanan and Hera glanced at each other before jumping to their feet and following her back. Sabine had already taken the liberty of getting Zeb, Ezra, Rex, and Chopper up. None of them looked the least bit thrilled of being dragged out of bed, especially since they just got in it. Sabine led the crew behind the large tree and made sure that the rest of the Fellowship couldn't hear them.

Then, when she was positive the coast was clear, the Mandalorian plugged Chopper into the stormtrooper helmet.

Zeb crossed his arms and scowled, "This better be important since you're depriving me of my precious sleep."

"Oh it's important," Sabine instantly nodded reassuringly, "What I've found is _big_."

Hera tilted her head, "Okay, what is it?"

Sabine turned to them and began to speak, "Okay, so I was thinking that since the bucketheads we encountered in Moria seemed to know the place inside out, then it could only mean one thing: They must've been here for years. So instead of listening to the Empire's most recent transmissions, I decided to go back at least four years."

She then tapped something on the side of Chopper's head. The astromech immediately twitched in response and then showed a hologram of the Imperial symbol.

"Listen to this," Sabine said, crossing her arms.

An Imperial officer's voice suddenly started speaking on the hologram, _"All units man your stations and await further orders. We have a prisoner transfer heading to the Star Destroyer, Sovereign. A possible rescue is probable.._ "

There was sudden static on the transmission and the hologram suddenly fizzled out.

Ezra frowned and narrowed his eyes, "The Star Destroyer, _Sovereign_? That ship sounds strangely familiar."

Sabine nodded, and jerked her finger at the empty hologram, "It should. That's Governor Tarkin's Star Destroyer!"

Hera shook her head, confusedly, "I don't follow. We blew up Tarkin's Star Destroyer when we rescued Kanan from Mustafar."

Sabine held up a finger, "Exactly. Remember, this was four years ago. And who do you think that prisoner was that they were talking about?"

Kanan's eyes widened in realization, "It's me!"

The Jedi Knight was beginning to suspect what the Mandalorian was already suspecting.

"We know Tarkin had escaped the system via shuttle," Sabine said with a shocked expression, "but guys, I know this might sound crazy, but I think these stormtroopers were from the fleet over Mustafar!"

"What?!" Rex exclaimed in shock. "But how?!"

Hera snapped her fingers and nodded, "It makes sense. Moria was crawling with Imperials. And they seemed to be working with Sauron and Saruman. But there has to be more than from where that came from. Maybe there are more troops stationed both at Isengard and Mordor."

Kanan nodded, "Most likely."

Ezra whistled and wiped his hand across his forehead, "Well...this is a lot to take in."

Sabine cleared her throat and then spoke again, "There is actually some good news to all of this."

Zeb looked at the Mandalorian in disbelief, "How can there be good news?!"

A small hopeful smile came to Sabine's face, surprising everyone, "If this is the fleet from Mustafar, then you can expect that they came here the same way we did. That means, that somewhere in Middle Earth, most likely in Mordor, there is a bunch of crashed Star Destroyers. They might not be flyable, but I'm pretty sure that there are some functional parts within the ships that could be useful to us, which means-"

Hera's eyes went wide, "We can fix _the Ghost_!"

That news immediately raised the crew's hopes. They couldn't believe it! Could they actually repair the ship and get home?! This was the best news they have had in days!

Zeb stumbled back against the tree and grinned, "Okay, that is some good news."

For so long, the crew of _the Ghost_ had begun to believe that they would never get home. But this newfound information restored those hopes. And they couldn't be more happier. As they returned to bed that night, they did so finding that they had another purpose for the Quest.

Their way home lied waiting in Mordor.


	35. Chapter 34

**I am very sad to hear that the Rebels series will officially be ending this Monday. :( It was a great show, and I hate that it has to end so soon. But the good news is, that doesn't mean the adventures of the Ghost crew are done. Not in this story, at least. lol. I hope you guys continue to enjoy it and I hope you like this chapter. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 33: The Mirror**

While most of the company found it easy to sleep, Ezra surprisingly found himself unable to once again. Even under the peaceful trees of Lothlorien, he still felt restless. He squirmed around on his mat, trying to find a comfortable spot to sleep. But it never came.

Ezra would've thought that he'd be over this. He had done well with resting ever since they left Rivendell. Why was he struggling now? Was it grief? Was it the excitement that they could possibly get _the Ghost_ fixed? No, the young apprentice didn't think it was either of those things. For some strange reason, he felt like something was going to happen tonight. He didn't know what, but every part of him was expecting something unexpected to happen.

He didn't know if it was good or bad. And even though he tried to brush it off, he still found himself on high alert. Was this the Force's doing? Kanan had told him that it could send messages in the most unexpected of ways. However, would it be this secretive? All Ezra knew was that he was being driven mad by not falling asleep.

With an aggravated sigh, he sat up and leaned against the tree he was next to. There had to be some way to make him tired. No doubt Aragorn would want to be shoving off sometime tomorrow or the following day. And Ezra honestly wanted to get as much sleep as possible. One of the downfalls about this journey was the lack of rest, and stopping for only a couple hours was nowhere near good enough.

Perhaps a meditation would do some good. Kanan and Ahsoka had taught Ezra that a while back, before they ever got the idea of going to Malachor. Apparently, meditation was what relieved Jedi of all their pain and stress. So, figuring he wouldn't disturb anyone, Ezra sat crisscross on the grass, put his hands on his lap, lowered his head, and closed his eyes.

He listened to all of his surroundings, taking in every slight movement. He realized that the Elves had stopped singing a while ago. The forest had fallen silent, with the exception of crickets making their usual noises during the night. He listened to the sound of running water in the distance and breathed in the fresh air through his nostrils. His body slowly became relaxed, and he welcomed it. Meditation was indeed a great thing.

The only thing that Ezra tried to block from his hearing was the loud snoring of both Zeb and Gimli. Unfortunately, meditation couldn't keep out _all_ annoying sounds. But that didn't aggravate him as much, for he had lived with it every day of his life since he had been on _the Ghost_.

However, Ezra suddenly sensed something in the Force. He felt movement. It was not coming from the camp, but it was heading this way. He didn't hear any footsteps, yet he could sense that it was a person. Said person was just about to turn around the corner and head towards the campsite. Ezra's eyes popped open to see who it was. Curiously, he found that it was Lady Galadriel. The Elf did not seem to notice the young Jedi. For her eyes were looking ahead, towards a stone corridor. Ezra noticed that she wore no shoes for some odd reason. He frowned at himself. He didn't know what the big deal was about that because hobbits wore no shoes either.

Galadriel went into the corridor and out of sight. Ezra was about to follow her, but then he noticed something else. He wasn't the only one who had seen her. Frodo was awake too, and he had already rose to his feet and began to slowly follow her into the corridor. The Jedi rose a brow, now confused. Had Galadriel meant for just the hobbit to see her? Or was it both of them? Ezra wanted to call out to Frodo, but found himself unable to say anything. He just let him walk inside and vanish.

Part of the young Jedi just wanted to leave it be. He didn't want to interfere with whatever was going on. Yet, there was still another part of him that couldn't hold back the curiosity. Maybe Galadriel wouldn't mind if he followed too? Or should he just stay put and meditate. Kanan would probably recommend the second option, if he had been awake. But since when had Ezra ever listened to Kanan?

So, without a second thought, the young Jedi rose to his feet and began to slowly walk towards the corridor. He was surprised at how quiet he was. Even though his feet moved on the grass, he didn't make a sound. He glanced back at his companions and saw that they were all still sleeping. He knew that he wouldn't wake them up. However, before Ezra turned around to continue walking, he suddenly noticed that one of his friends were missing. There was another empty mat laying on the ground, and a Mandalorian helmet sitting right beside it.

Where was Sabine?

"What do you think you're doing?" a female voice suddenly asked from behind.

Ezra closed his eyes in defeat. That answered that question. He slowly turned back around and saw Sabine standing in front of him, her arms crossed and brow raised. He wanted to make up some excuse, but he knew there was no chance of the Mandalorian believing him.

But instead of answering, Ezra asked, "Why are you up?"

Sabine smirked and shook her head, "That's not an answer to my question, Ezra. Why are _you_ up and where are you going?"

Ezra looked at her, then at the corridor, and then back at her. She glanced back at the doorway too but looked right back at him after a few seconds.

The apprentice sighed, "Okay, I'm following Galadriel! I just want to see where she's off to."

She nodded and looked at the corridor with a frown, "Yeah, I saw her pass through here too." She then shrugged, "At first, I hadn't thought much of it, but if it's got the attention of both you and Frodo, now it's making me curious."

Ezra had to smirk at that. At least she wasn't going to stop him. Well, he was hoping that's what it meant. But the longer he stood there, the farther Galadriel and Frodo got.

Sabine then waved him forward with her hand, "Come on. Let's go check this out."

Ezra looked at her, surprised, "You're coming with me?"

She smirked back at him, "You don't seriously think I'm gonna let you have all the fun, do you?"

Ezra didn't bother to answer and just smiled at her. He knew better than to talk her out of this. Plus, the Mandalorian would listen to him as much as he listened to Kanan. So he just gave her a nod and they both slowly crept up to the corridor. They carefully peeked around to see if anybody else was there. Fortunately, Frodo had just turned another corner, so the coast was clear.

Sabine and Ezra glanced at each other before slowly following close behind. Neither of them knew why they were being so secretive, but part of them just wanted to remain out of sight and just watch whatever was going on. Plus, they wanted to keep a close eye on Frodo just to make sure he was alright. He was the Ring Bearer, after all. So, in a way, they were just doing their duty as members of the Fellowship.

There were many twists and turns in the path, surprisingly. Ezra and Sabine had gone around who knows how many corners. But at least the path was pleasant to walk through, and not dark and mysterious as the other places they had seen. The closer they got, however, the more Ezra got a strange feeling within him. Galadriel was definitely not on some random walk through the woods. She was heading somewhere. Somewhere that was very strong with some kind of magic. He could feel it. The Force once again sent mixed feelings through the young apprentice. Where was she going?

Finally, Ezra and Sabine could catch sight of an open area right around the next corner. But before they could go around, the Mandalorian held up her hand to stop. Ezra would've wanted to continue, but he realized that, if they didn't want to be seen, this was as far as they could go. They peeked around and saw that Galadriel had went down a small column of stone stairs and into a small hollow in which a quiet stream ran to a small pool. In the middle of the area, the Jedi and Mandalorian noticed a basin upon a curved pedestal. Behind said pedestal, stood an ewer. Ezra rose a curious brow. Why had she come here?

They also saw that Frodo had quietly descended down the stone stairs to the hollow. His eyes remained focused on Galadriel. The Elf's back was to him, and she had picked up the ewer. She then slowly walked over to the small pool and filled it with water. Ezra and Sabine both wondered what she was going to use that for. Frodo, meanwhile, had already walked onto the grass and stood in front of Galadriel. Finally, the Lady of Lorien turned around and faced him. That made Ezra and Sabine slightly hide around the corner. But the good news was that they could still see the whole scene before them.

Galadriel then spoke to the hobbit, "Will you look into the mirror?"

Ezra frowned confusedly. Mirror? What mirror? Was she talking about the basin?

Frodo eyed her cautiously, "What will I see?"

A small smile came upon Galadriel's lips. She walked back up to the pedestal, "Even the wisest cannot tell. For the mirror shows many things." She then began to pour the water from the ewer into the basin. "Things that _were_ , things that _are_ , and some things...that have not yet come to pass."

This Elf lady was full of surprises. Now Ezra and Sabine were starting to think that she was a fortune teller as well as a mind reader. What else could she do?! But that look she had upon her face sent a chill up both their spines. She was kind, there was no question about that, but there was something else about her. Something that seemed hidden.

Frodo looked at the basin, and slowly began to walk up to it. Galadriel had finally poured the last drops of water from the ewer and then took a couple steps back from the pedestal. The hobbit looked down at the mirror. Ezra and Sabine tried to look as into it as well and see whatever he was seeing. However, they suddenly heard a voice speak to them in their heads. A _very_ familiar voice.

 _"I know you are there, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren,"_ said Galadriel.

The Jedi and Mandalorian both pressed their heads against the stone wall. They had not made a sound and yet they had still been caught. How did she do it?! They didn't know if it was a good idea to make themselves known or not.

Ezra spoke back to her in his head, _"We do not mean to hide from you, my lady."_

Galadriel chuckled and replied, _"So I thought. You are both very brave to come here. However, you are not permitted to see what the Ring Bearer is seeing."_

Ezra nodded, _"We understand, my lady. We apologize for the intrusion. We will go ahead and take our leave."_

 _"Nay,"_ Galadriel answered kindly, _"do not leave. You may not see what Frodo sees, but your time will come to look, if you so wish."_

Everything then went silent after that. Ezra and Sabine looked away from the hollow and leaned back against the wall. They dared not to look at the mirror while Frodo was looking. Who knows what consequences would happen if they did. Ezra wondered if coming here was a good idea. He felt a bit uneasy about possibly getting to look into this mirror. Galadriel had said herself that it showed things that had happened in the past, present, and future. Did he really want to know what would happen in the future? He was afraid that he would see something he didn't like.

Sabine felt the same way. Her jaw tightened as she thought about what Galadriel had said. Yet, neither of them made a move to get up and walk away. They felt like they should look. They needed to know what would become of them throughout this Quest. There was a possibility that they would find parts to fix _the Ghost_ and finally go home, but the real question was: Would they _all_ go home?

They had to. Ezra wanted them to make it out of this. They had been through so much in the past couple months, they couldn't let anybody die. For the sake of their friends, Ezra and Sabine knew they had to look. Even if they wouldn't like what they find.

Suddenly, Ezra felt a disturbance in the Force. He sensed conflict within Frodo. He felt the hobbit shaking in fear. What was he seeing? Whatever it was, it apparently had him spooked. Ezra felt so helpless right now. He wanted to pull Frodo away from the mirror, but Galadriel had said not to look. He had no choice but to sit and wait.

Then, to the Jedi's relief, he sensed Frodo pull away from the mirror and collapse onto the ground. Ezra nodded to Sabine, indicating that it was alright for them to look now. They once again turned their heads around the corner. Frodo was indeed laying on the ground, but only temporary. He slowly rose back to his feet. Galadriel gave him a hard look.

"I know what it is you saw," she said aloud, "For it is also in my mind."

The Elf and hobbit then stared at each other for a long time. Ezra suspected she was speaking to him in his mind. He couldn't see the expression on Frodo's face, but he did see the hobbit look down at his right hand. He was holding something, and Ezra suspected he knew what it was. But why did he have the ring out? Part of the young Jedi didn't want Frodo to open up his hand, but alas that's exactly what he did. The ring was laying perfectly on his palm.

Ezra found his gaze completely fixed on it, and that's exactly what he had been afraid of. He wanted to look away, but couldn't bring himself to do it. That thing had him in a trance. It _always_ had him in a trance whenever Frodo took it out. Since the first time he had seen it in Bree, Ezra had become obsessed with it, and he couldn't stop himself. And it felt like his desire for the ring was becoming stronger.

Galadriel looked down at the ring, her eyes widened and her hand slowly reaching out. Sabine's eyes narrowed and she began to reach for one of her blasters.

"You offer it to me freely," she exclaimed, her hand slightly shaking, "I cannot deny that my heart has greatly desired this."

Ezra felt uneasy as he watched this. A great darkness had come over the hollow. Not just literally, but he also felt it through the Force. And it was coming from the Elf. Then suddenly, to both Ezra and Sabine's horror, Galadriel changed. Her skin and cloak turned dark and her eyes had an terrifying white glow to them. Her cloak began to blow around violently, as if wind was blowing at it. But what was even more alarming was her voice. It wasn't soft and kind, but deep and menacing.

"In place of a dark lord, you would have a queen!" she boomed, " _Not dark, but beautiful and terrible as the dawn; treacherous as the sea; stronger than the foundations of the earth! All shall love me and despair!_ "

Sabine immediately grabbed her blaster and pointed it at Galadriel. But Ezra surprisingly found himself stopping her.

"Wait, Sabine, don't!" he whispered.

The Mandalorian looked at him as if he was mad, "Ezra, she's going to kill Frodo!"

Ezra nodded, looking over at the Elf. He was honestly scared half to death. "I know it looks that way, but if she was intending to kill him, I don't think she'd do that with us watching!"

She eyed him, and then eyed Galadriel. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a point. There had to be some other reason for this...alarming thing happening. Sighing, she put her blaster back in it's holster and watched with Ezra.

Galadriel looked once more at the ring, and Frodo backed away slightly. But then, after a few more seconds, light all of a sudden returned to the hollow and the Lady of Lorien looked normal again. She stumbled back, and had an unsettled look on her face. She breathed heavily and looked away, closing her eyes. She then said something so softly that Ezra and Sabine couldn't hear. The two were very confused about what had just happened, but their fears of Galadriel slowly began to disappear. Whatever that had been didn't matter now. Both felt reassured that she wasn't a threat. And fortunately, Ezra had saved Sabine from being accused of murder.

Had that happened, he figured it wouldn't have gone well with the rest of the Elves.

Frodo looked more scared than they had ever seen him look and said aloud, "I cannot do this alone."

Galadriel turned to face him again, looking completely relaxed. "You are a Ring Bearer, Frodo," she said to him sternly, "To have a ring of power is to be alone."

She then raised her hand, and Ezra noticed, to his surprise, that there was a ring on her finger. He looked at it closely. But then, a thought came to him. His eyes slightly widened. No. Could that be...?

"This is Nenya," Galadriel said, "the Ring of Adamant. And I am its Keeper."

She possessed another magic ring?! Ezra and Sabine were a bit stunned. Although, Kanan had mentioned to them of the story Gandalf had told him back in Rivendell. Yes, the One Ring was the greatest ring of power ever made, but there had been other rings forged before it came along. They had never expected to come across one of them, though.

Galadriel's expression softened again and she said to Frodo, "This task was appointed to you. And if you do not find a way, no one will."

Ezra frowned at her. What did she mean by that? Surly she was aware that there was a Fellowship for a reason. They were supposed to help Frodo in his quest, but it almost sounded like she was wanting him to go...alone.

The hobbit looked down at the ground and visibly swallowed, "I know what I must do. It's just...I'm afraid to do it."

Ezra didn't know what he meant. But he wasn't sure if he'd like it if he ever found out. He pitied the hobbit. Even after they had started this Quest, Ezra had known that there was a lot more at stake than he realized. And poor Frodo was responsible for fixing it. He had become so ever since he announced that he'd take the ring to Mordor. Despite all the hardships the Fellowship might face, he was the one with the biggest responsibility. Ezra couldn't blame Frodo for being afraid. He was too, as well as his friends.

Galadriel gave him a comforting smile and leaned down, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Even the smallest person can change the course of the future."

That seemed to comfort Frodo, for the hobbit's expression looked more at ease. He clutched the ring in his hand and then put it back in his pocket. It was a mystery to Ezra and Sabine of what was said after that. They could no longer hear the two, for they spoke ever so softly. But finally, after a couple seconds passed, Frodo turned away and exited the hollow. Galadriel watched him as he walked off, a warm smile on her face.

However, when the hobbit was gone, her eyes looked up to where the Jedi and Mandalorian were hiding.

"You may come out now," she called up to them.

Ezra and Sabine were hesitant, at first, but at last stood up and walked down into the hollow. They found they weren't so tense as they approached the Elf. Although, their eyes kept on going from her to the pedestal.

Ezra tried to act a bit cheerful and said, "That was an interesting...thing that happened earlier." He put his arms in the air for a second, "You know, how you looked all scary and stuff."

Sabine elbowed him, "Ezra!"

Galadriel's face was expressionless, but the look in her eye was very serious, "That is what I _would_ become if I ever possessed the ring." She then smiled again, "However, I can promise you that will not happen, young Ezra Bridger."

The young Jedi forced a small laugh, trying to reassure himself, "Of course."

Galadriel looked amused by his expression, but when she looked at both of them, she gave a sad smile.

"You two did not have to stay and look, but deep down, I know you wanted to," she said, "For I know what it is you wish to see."

Ezra and Sabine glanced at each other, having a feeling that she knew exactly what they wanted. They wondered, though, if they should just say it anyways.

Sabine decided to say it, "We want to know what will happen to our friends once this is all over."

Galadriel nodded, "So I had figured." She glanced at the pedestal, "The mirror can indeed show you such things." She then looked back at them, "However, all that is shown may not be as it seems. The future is always in motion."

Ezra eyed her curiously.

"That sounds almost like something Kanan and Master Yoda would say," he remarked.

Galadriel smiled, "And they are correct. However, what nobody will ever know is what future will happen based on the decisions we make. Many possible futures lye in wait, and it is our actions that determine which one will occur."

Both Ezra and Sabine nodded, understanding. They knew as much.

Galadriel then pointed to the pedestal, "Will you look into the mirror?"

They both nodded, although they were now starting to get that feeling of dread in their hearts. They knew the future was not set in stone, but that didn't mean that whatever they would see couldn't happen.

"Which one of us goes first?" Ezra asked the Elf.

Galadriel shrugged, "That is for you to decide."

Before Ezra could say something else, Sabine stepped forward, "I'll do it."

Ezra looked at her, concerned, "Are you sure?"

The Mandalorian nodded, "Yes. Plus, one of us has to go first, so I might as well give it a shot."

Without another word, she walked up to the pedestal. She took a deep breath and glanced at Galadriel. The Elf nodded, and slowly, Sabine looked down into the mirror. Ezra took that as his cue to look away. He had not been able to see what Frodo had seen, so he assumed that the same rules applied this time. Although, he was very curious to see what the Mandalorian was looking at in the mirror.

Sabine was a woman of many secrets, there was no denying that. Ezra still couldn't believe how much of her past she was able to hide from him and the crew. But at least the galaxy had pity on him and revealed small parts of it. He remembered discovering on Garel that Sabine had once been a bounty hunter with Ketsu. And when the rebellion captured the Mandalorian leader of the Protectors, Fenn Rau, he had revealed that she was Clan Wren, a part of House Vizla, which was famous for being associated with the disbanded Mandalorian group, the Death Watch. However, Sabine had explained that only her mother had been a part of that organization.

Ezra wondered if he'd ever find out anything else about her in the future. No doubt. But maybe, for a change, she might tell him things about her past. He had thought that she hadn't changed during the time they had been in Middle Earth. However, after everything, he was beginning to think that he was wrong. She seemed happier, in a way. Especially when she was around him. Ezra had no clue what that meant, though.

He suddenly felt another disturbance in the Force. Like Frodo, Sabine was starting to shake in horror at what she was seeing. Oh, he wished he could look. He could feel her heart pounding and her fear growing stronger. Finally, she pulled away from the mirror and Ezra looked over at her. Tears were beginning to roll down the sides of her face and she had a look of terror in her eyes.

He had the urge to go over and comfort her, but Galadriel beat him to it. The Lady of Lorien walked over to the Mandalorian and gently made her look at her. He realized that she was, yet again, speaking to her in her mind. Sabine tried to act tough, and wiped her tears away, but her expression softened the more she listened to Galadriel. What were they saying, Ezra wondered? He wished he knew what she saw. Eventually, she seemed to calm down and lowered her head.

Galadriel then turned to the apprentice, "You may now look, Ezra."

Ezra looked at the mirror and visibly swallowed. His eyes remained fixed on it as he cautiously walked up to it. Sabine's tears had dried away and she watched him from behind. Ezra finally stood before the pedestal and clenched his fists. It was his turn now, and he felt his heart pounding already. Galadriel nodded for him to look, like she had done with the Mandalorian. Ezra closed his eyes for a second, begging the Force to be with him, and then opened them again and looked into the mirror.

At first, he saw nothing. He was just looking at the water. He saw no images nor anything out of the ordinary. Maybe it wasn't working? Ezra was about to let Galadriel know, but suddenly, something finally happened. The water darkened and he could now see shapes moving around. He leaned forward to get a closer look.

He saw the plains of Lothal, and him running across it. The sun was bright and a couple loth-cats could be seen hiding in the tall grass, hissing. Ezra heard a high-pitched sound in the sky, and saw a couple Imperial TIE fighters fly by. Like always, Lothal was under the control of the Empire. He had always hated to see those Star Destroyers hovering over the city, like a bird wanting to devour its prey.

The image then changed and Ezra saw the inside of _the Ghost_. He was standing there along with everybody else. Everything seemed to be happy there. He and Zeb were laughing over something, and then they both got electrocuted by Chopper. That resulted in the two chasing the astromech through the ship. Hera and Kanan, of course, just rolled their eyes. Sabine was doing her usual painting.

But then, several images started to appear in front of Ezra. Past moments that had been both light and dark. More specifically, he saw recognizable faces and heard their voices like a distant echo.

Kanan and him standing in his old home. " _You can keep the lightsaber you stole, let it become another dusty souvenir, or you could give it back and come with us. Come with me. And be trained in the ways of the Force._ "

Hera trying to convince him to help her crew. " _If all you do is fight for your own life, then your life is worth nothing!_ "

Yoda. _"Growing your abilities are. And with them...danger._ "

Darth Vader. " _Your master has deceived you into believing that you can become a Jedi._ "

The Grand Inquisitor. " _Your devotion to your master is admirable, but it will not save you. Nothing can._ "

Frodo. " _I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened._ "

Gandalf. " _So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us._ "

Everything changed again, and this time Ezra saw a place that he didn't expect to see again so soon. He could see the Fellowship in Moria and Gandalf standing on the bridge, facing the balrog.

" _You shall not pass!_ "

Ezra tried to hold back tears when as he watched the whole incident again. He didn't want to look away without risking the mirror going dark. So he regretfully watched as Gandalf was dragged off the bridge by the balrog and into the deep dark abyss. However, to his curiosity, he found the image following the wizard down the chasm while the Fellowship was fleeing the mines. Ezra saw Gandalf grab his sword as he was falling. He was getting closer to the blarog, and when he finally landed on top of him, a fight began. Gandalf kept on bringing his sword down upon the creature. It responded by grabbing him with one of its hands and swinging him around. The fight continued until they crashed down into some underground stream, and immediately everything went dark.

Ezra just stood there, waiting for something else to happen. After a few seconds, he assumed that he had seen everything. But before he could turn away, he did see something else appear. It wasn't a location nor a person this time. Instead, Ezra found himself looking at an image of the one thing he desired.

The ring.

He shook his head, wanting it to go away. He knew that Galadriel was seeing this too, and he didn't know what she'd think of him if she discovered he wanted the ring. In his mind, he kept on telling the image to go away, but it did not do so. Ezra heard a dark voice speaking to him in some sort of strange language. It sounded almost like the black speech Gandalf had used to scare Boromir back in Rivendell. But that was definitely not the wizard's voice.

Just then, another voice started speaking to him out of nowhere. It spoke in basic, but the voice also seemed to be disguised.

" _Take it,_ " it urged the apprentice, " _Use it! Do you not realize what it can do for you?!_ "

Ezra shook his head, trying not to listen, but he could not block out the voice.

" _You can use it to destroy the Empire!_ " it said, _"You can drive them away from Lothal. You can go home, Ezra! Don't you miss your home?!_ "

The more Ezra listened to this voice, the more he got a strange feeling that it was from the future. He then saw a hand slowly begin to reach for the ring. A human hand.

 _His_ hand.

Ezra saw it grab hold of the ring and then the mirror showed an image of his face. His eyes were closed, but he saw them slightly opening. However, when they finally opened, he noticed something...different about them. They weren't their usual color. They were yellow. Ezra looked at the image in shock. His eyes almost looked like a-.

The image then changed to his other hand, and the activated lightsaber he held in it! Ezra heard tones of screams, both from his friends and others, begging him to stop. He heard his lightsaber cutting down people. He couldn't take anymore of this. He didn't want to see anything else. He instantly pulled himself away from the mirror, screaming in terror, and collapsed onto the ground.

Sabine rushed over and knelt by his side, "Ezra?! Are you okay?!"

The Jedi didn't answer and instead jumped to his feet and looked at Galadriel, "What was that?! What did I just see?!"

The Elf replied calmly, "You saw things that were, things that are, and things that have not yet come to pass."

Yeah, Ezra had already gotten that part of the whole thing. But what he was asking was why in the world did it show him turning into a dark side wielder?! He looked just like a Sith in that image! That surly couldn't be true.

He dropped back down on his knees and looked down at the ground. Had that really been him? Wasn't it a trick or something? However, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that he knew exactly what he saw. Galadriel knelt down in front of him and waited for him to look up at her. Ezra felt ashamed to look her in the eye after what had happened, but he forced himself to do it anyways.

" _Will I really become like that?_ " he asked her in his head.

Galadriel gave him a hard stare and replied, " _It is what will happen if the Quest fails._ " She then made him look her straight in the eye, " _However, it does not mean that your fate will necessarily be this, Ezra. But I will say that there will no doubt be fragments of what you saw happening in the future. I know that you desire the ring, like so many others in Middle Earth._ "

Ezra looked back down at the ground and shook his head, " _But I shouldn't want it. I'm a Jedi. I'm supposed to overcome such temptations._ "

Galadriel shook her head and smiled, " _I am sure, my young friend, that is not true. I do not know your Jedi traditions, but I do know that even the greatest masters must've gone through such temptations. You are not alone, Ezra. All are put to the test eventually. Even I cannot deny my desire for the ring._ "

The apprentice looked back up at her, " _How do you do it? How do you resist its power?_ "

Galadriel's gaze went over to the pedestal, a dark expression on her face, " _I have walked this earth for many hundreds of years. I have seen the evil of Sauron the Deceiver. I have seen what he is capable of, and part of it is all because of the ring he made._ " Her expression then turned to sadness and regret, " _It should have been destroyed during the Second Age, but alas it was not. And we are forced to deal with the Dark Lord's return today. I resist the ring because of such things, Ezra. It is not just by my wisdom, but also by my pity for all who are living. All who do not deserve to die an unnecessary death. But despite this, the desire is still there. It is up to us on whether or not we are willing to let it go._ "

Ezra stared at her for a long while. She was right, despite him still seeing how difficult it was to resist the ring. They always had a choice. No magic could fully control them. Ezra knew that only he could change himself. So many times he had been tempted by the Dark Side of the Force. Once when he fought the Grand Inquisitor on the old clone base. And another when he lost Ahsoka on Malachor. Ezra needed to remind himself that, although it wasn't exactly the same thing, the ring was strong with the Dark Side. And if he resisted such temptations before, then there was a chance he could do it again.

But it wouldn't be easy. He doubted it ever would.

He then slowly nodded, " _I understand._ "

Galadriel smiled at him and then stood back up. The young Jedi followed suite and stood beside Sabine.

"As you both already know, the answers you desired were not exactly given," the Elf said softly, "Fate is always a mystery as is the future. But do not let such worries consume you. For should you do something based off fear, it might not turn out as you had hoped." She then became honest with them and said, "The Quest is far from over, as you will soon come to realize. The Ring Bearer will face the most difficult of paths in order to ensure the ring's destruction."

That reminded Ezra of what he had heard Frodo say earlier. He had to do something but was afraid to do it. Ezra wondered if that was what the Lady of Lorien was referring to.

"And we will be there with him," he said to her confidently, "Every step of the way."

Galadriel frowned, "Your intentions are admirable, but that is not your responsibility, Ezra. Neither is it the responsibility of your companions."

Ezra and Sabine glanced at each other confusedly. What did she mean?

Sabine then spoke out a bit boldly, "Um, with all due respect, my lady, but isn't that _why_ this Fellowship was formed? We swore an oath to protect Frodo and go as far as we were able to."

Galadriel nodded, "Indeed, Sabine Wren. And you have almost fulfilled that oath."

"What?!" Ezra asked, a bit shocked. "No! We can go further! Yes, we lost a dear friend, but that has not slowed us down!"

Sabine nodded in agreement, looking just as shocked. Was this lady being serious right now?! And didn't she just say that the Quest was far from complete?! How could the oath be almost fulfilled if the Quest was not over?

Galadriel sighed, "I do not doubt either of you. However, even though Frodo's path is Mordor, another path awaits you and the rest of the Fellowship. I cannot reveal what will happen, but I will say that both of you will know the right path to take. Even if it means turning away from your main objective."

Ezra was having a difficult time believing what she was saying. He could never picture himself turning away from Frodo. He had been their friend ever since they came to this planet. Why would they turn away from their main objective when the whole world was at stake? They couldn't. He, like the rest of the company, knew that they had to see this through to the end. They _had_ to take the ring to Mordor and cast it into the fires of Mount Doom.

The Elf seemed to have read their minds, "You might not realize it now, but you will." She placed her hands on both their shoulders, "Hard times are coming, Ezra Bridger and Sabine Wren. The death of Gandalf was only the beginning of the hardships you and your friends will face. And very soon, you will be forced to make the most difficult decision, but the right one nonetheless."

Ezra wanted to argue. He wanted to tell her that she was wrong and that they could still help Frodo. But he couldn't bring himself to say anything else. Deep down, he knew that she made a lot of fair points. There would be hard times ahead, and who knows what path they would take. He knew that the Lady of Lorien meant well, and he knew he could trust her. She was wise, and he shouldn't doubt her wisdom.

Galadriel lightly smiled, "Yet, you do not have to deal with these things alone." When they looked at her in confusion, she continued, "Both of you have had a strong bond, especially now since you've been in Middle Earth. When these hard times come, they will test your courage and commitment. But, when this happens, there is one simple thing that can guide you to staying strong."

Sabine rose a brow, "And what is that?"

The Elf simply responded, "Each other."

Ezra had an uncomfortable feeling at the pit of his stomach, as did Sabine. He thought he could see the Mandalorian's cheeks turning a bit red. But when she looked at him, he quickly turned his head back to Galadriel. Things got awkward really fast.

"Go rest," Galadriel kindly said them, "You will be leaving tomorrow, and you will need as much sleep as possible."

Ezra and Sabine didn't know what to say to her, so all they did was bow and slowly walk out of the hollow. They knew she was watching them as they left, but they finally were out of her sight when they turned around the corner, taking the same path back to the camp.

Both the Jedi and Mandalorian were quiet for a few minutes. After hearing what Galadriel had said, things still felt a bit awkward between them. Ezra knew that Sabine was thinking about something though. He could tell by the expression on her face. He wanted to say something to break the silence, but couldn't think of what to say. He all of a sudden found himself stopping in his tracks and looking at her. That resulted in Sabine stopping to, and giving him a questionable look.

Ezra went a bit pale in the face and stuttered. Karabast, why had he stopped?! He had to think of something fast, so he said the first thing that popped into his head.

"So..." he began, trying to act normal, "what did you see in the mirror?"

Sabine shrugged, "Most of it was who I used to be." She then stared at the ground and sighed, "I've thought about that a lot, and I've come to realize, especially now, that I'm glad I have changed. Who I was then is not who I am anymore. I've evolved into a better person."

Ezra nodded and smiled, "I can tell you have. And I'm glad."

Sabine tried not to look flattered, but her expression was giving her away.

She quickly cleared her throat, "How about you?"

Ezra wasn't sure if he should tell her everything he saw. He didn't know what she'd think of him if he told her what he would supposedly become. But he knew Sabine. She'd never judged him, just like the rest of his friends never did. Well, except for Chopper, of course.

"Same as you," he replied, but then he had a serious look on his face, "But there was one thing I saw that I swear I will _never_ be."

The Mandalorian nodded, and for some reason bit her lip. Ezra still felt the awkwardness between them. He probably needed to say something about it. One of them had to.

"Look Sabine.." he said with a sigh, "about what Galadriel said. I-"

He never got to finish the sentence. All of a sudden, Sabine grabbed his shoulders, pulled him towards her, and kissed him. Ezra's eyes went wide with shock as her lips were against his. Was this really happening? But as the seconds ticked by, his eyes closed and he embraced the moment. The world around both of them seemed to freeze, and their focus was just on this moment.

When Sabine broke away, the Jedi had so many mixed feelings rushing through him. He felt strange. Not an awful strange. No, it was more like a _great_ strange. He forced a small laugh and stepped back, a bit dazed. Sabine seemed the same way. However, she then jabbed a finger at him and gave him a warning look.

"If you mention this to _anyone_ , I'll kill you," she said sternly.

Ezra laughed nervously and shook his head, "Oh no, of course not. Kanan would probably kill me anyways. Because you know, that's kind of breaking the Jedi code. But I never understood it..."

The apprentice looked away and began to babble nonsense. Sabine just stared at him for a few more moments, her hands on her hips. When he continued to babble, she just rolled her eyes and walked off.

"...so yeah, the secret's safe with me..." Ezra said as he turned his head and realized, "...oh she's gone."

Even though she had turned the corner, Sabine had heard Ezra's last words.

And she couldn't help but smile to herself.

* * *

Fear. Fear was the greatest ally of the Dark Side. It gave it energy. It gave it unlimited power. And it had been the perfect tool to wipe out the entire Jedi Order.

For so long, the Grand Inquisitor had studied the flaws of the Jedi Council. He had never imagined how blind they could be. But of course, when he had been a Temple Guard, he had never doubted the wisdom of the masters. It was when he embraced the Dark Side, that he saw what fools they were. They claimed to be keepers of the peace, and yet they were distracted by the violence and rage of war.

The Clone Wars was what made the Jedi become vulnerable. They were easily distracted, and they had failed to see that the Dark Lord of the Sith had been right under their noses. And disguised as a politician of all people.

The Inquisitor wished he had been there that day. When Master Windu, the second wisest Jedi other than Master Yoda, had fought with Darth Sidious. He wanted to see him scream in agony as he was tossed out and fell down the tall skyscrapers of Coruscant. The galaxy was full of disappointments.

He had never thought he'd hate the Jedi Order so much. Yet now, he so badly desired its annihilation. Especially sense memories of that _one_ day still haunted him.

The Pau'an was sitting in his dark chamber in the tower of Orthanc. His head was lowered and his eyes were closed. He was not meditating. He was building his rage as memories flooded his mind. He could still see himself on the Star Destroyer, _Sovereign_. He saw himself in the Reactor Core, his blood-red lightsaber in hand. Across from him was that...Jedi. Kanan, wasn't he called? He held two lightsabers in his hand. One was his own, and the other was his apprentice's that the Inquisitor supposedly killed.

He still felt the rage as he clashed blades with the man. But he also remembered the feeling of a newfound confidence within the Jedi. The Pau'an had thought he had gotten the upper hand, but Kanan had proved him wrong.

And it had cost him _everything_.

" _You're right. I was a coward. But now I have discovered something stronger than fear. Far stronger: The Force. Let me show you how strong it is._ "

The Inquisitor opened his eyes. The yellow glow of his pupils was the only light in the room. He didn't need light. He could still see. And he looked down at his restored lightsaber. The Jedi had broken it that day on the _Sovereign_. But when he had come here, the Pau'an had made sure that it was repaired to its original look. Yet, the mark of where it had been cut in half was still visible. Like a scar that would never go away.

The Inquisitor clenched his fists in rage and reattached the weapon to his back. He stood up and just stayed there, in deep thought. He remembered the last words he had ever said to that Jedi.

" _You have no idea of what you have unleashed here today. There are some things far more frightening than death._ "

And he had meant it. Every single word. He had wanted to choose death, for it was the easiest way out. Failure was never acceptable in the Empire, and especially not with the likes of Darth Vader and the Emperor. The Inquisitor had known the price of such terms. He was lucky that he would most likely never see them again. He still considered himself a part of the Empire, as did the rest of the army that was with him here.

But he had found a new master now. Not Vader. Not Palpatine. Someone far stronger. Well, the Inquisitor at least considered Sauron to be powerful, although he had never seen his physical form. However, if someone as powerful as him was able to cheat death, then that had to count for something. The Inquisitor saw great opportunity here in Middle Earth. The population was weak. _Pathetic_. They were easy to be controlled. Although, this mysterious Fellowship was proving quite elusive. And part of that was thanks to the discovery of the Lothal rebels helping them.

When the Inquisitor had seen the Jedi on the hologram, he was happy to see them. Not in a good way. What he was looking foreword to was getting the chance to separate their heads from their bodies! At last, he now had the chance to complete his mission. It was the job of an Inquisitor to eliminate all Jedi. He would at least have the satisfaction of ridding the galaxy of these two.

Just then, the door to his chamber opened. An Orc walked in. And when the creature set its eyes upon the Pau'an, it looked down in fear. The Inquisitor grinned at that. These disgusting creatures knew their place, and weren't too fond of the idea of being cut by his blade.

"My lord," the Orc hissed fearfully, "Saruman summons you to his throne room."

The Inquisitor nodded, and the creature quickly left. He then sighed and exited his chamber as well. He hated being summoned by the old man, for he always seemed to see only his flaws. If it were up to the Pau'an, he'd strangle the life out of him. But he was loyal to Sauron, as was the White wizard.

As he walked down the hallway, he heard Saruman's voice echo up ahead.

"Do you know how the Orcs first came into being?" he asked.

The Inquisitor rose a brow, unsure if he was talking to him or someone else.

"They were Elves once," Saruman continued, "taken by the dark powers. Tortured and mutilated. A ruined and terrible form of life."

The Pau'an finally entered the chamber and stopped. The wizard was walking around one of the new Uruk-hai. His skin looked a sickly blue in the dark light. It just stood there, motionless, but growling. The Inquisitor had been told that these creatures would be more powerful than the common Orcs. And right now, those rumors were proven correct. These were the perfect soldiers for the coming war.

"And now... _perfected_ : my fighting Uruk-hai," Saruman sneered. He then bent his head closer to the creature and demanded, "Whom do you serve?"

"Saruman!" the Uruk growled.

The Inquisitor smiled, very much impressed.

The White wizard nodded, "Then ready your forces. For I have a task for you."

The Uruk nodded and turned around. His eyes gazed upon the Inquisitor for a second, and he showed his sharp teeth. The Pau'an looked unbothered and just stared at him, his arms crossed. Finally, the Uruk walked out of the throne room.

"They are ready," he exclaimed.

Saruman shrugged, "Most of them, yes. The Great Eye is pleased with our accomplishments."

The Inquisitor crossed his arms and stroked his chin in thought, "They are effective, I agree. But are you sure they will be a match for these travelers?"

He already knew the wizard's intentions. There would only be one reason he was assembling a small batch of the creatures so soon. The ring was close. He could feel it and no doubt Sauron could too.

Saruman frowned, "What do you mean?"

The Inquisitor began to pace around the room, "Your Uruk-hai might be able to handle the locals, but there is still the problem of the Lothal rebels and their _Jedi_ leadership being among them. I fear they will be helpless against the Jedi."

The wizard rose a brow, "Then perhaps, Inquisitor, you should handle this problem personally." He then smirked at him mockingly, "Or will _you_ be a match for them? Didn't you say that you lost to the master?"

"That was years ago!" the Inquisitor snapped in fury, "I can assure you that I have grown more powerful in my exile! The Jedi will fall!" He jabbed his finger at the old man, "I will go, and I shall not fail."

Saruman smiled and tilted his head, "We'll see."

Before the Pau'an could say another word, his comlink suddenly beeped. He reached for it and activated it. Instantly, a hologram of an Imperial officer appeared.

"Report," the Inquisitor ordered.

The officer sighed, "Trail's gone cold, Inquisitor. We followed him as far as possible, but we lost him in the Woods of Lothlorien. Shall we pursue?"

Another problem on their hands. The Inquisitor gritted his teeth. He knew his men wouldn't stand a chance in those woods. They were far outnumbered.

"No," he replied with a shake of his head, "You have done all you can. Return at once."

The officer bowed and the hologram fizzled out. Saruman looked over at the Pau'an with a raised brow, wondering what that was all about.

"That's the squad I assigned to capture that mysterious tenth ringwraith," the Inquisitor explained, a concerned look upon his face. "He's disappeared."


	36. Chapter 35

**Here it is at last! lol. I am back, guys! And I am so so so sorry for the long and aggravating wait. I hope you can forgive me. It's been a really frustrating couple of months, but I have worked really hard on this chapter, and I am glad that I finally finished it. lol :) I put a lot of thought into this one, especially for the gifts that the crew of _the Ghost_ would receive, and I hope that you think they are cool. I hope to be back very soon. But in the meantime, enjoy this extra long chapter. :) **

* * *

**Chapter 34: Down the Anduin**

It was time.

Months of hard work was about to be unleashed. The Uruk-hai were ready to serve Mordor and the Dark Lord Sauron. Even though more were still being created, the ones that were finished were being armed. They were given unusually shaped swords. Swords so big that no man would want to stand in their way. Their armor was, of course, hard steel.

Some of them had markings on their faces, and the Grand Inquisitor didn't know why but really didn't care. He had his orders, and all he cared about was fulfilling them.

It had been a while since he set foot out of Isengard. But he knew the time had come. Years of waiting had finally become worth it. There were Jedi out there. And it was time to hunt.

The Inquisitor held his mask beside him as he strode up a wooden ramp to Saruman. The White wizard peered down at the Uruks as they armed themselves. Roars could be heard from the crowd. The Inquisitor felt their eagerness. They were bloodthirsty. He could see it in their eyes.

Good.

However, the Pau'an knew these terrifying creatures would be no match for the Fellowship, especially with their Jedi leadership. That's why he had ordered a small squad of Imperial Death Troopers to assist him. He could handle the Jedi alone, but the rest of the Lothal rebels would be their responsibility. And as for the locals? What about them? The Inquisitor could care less, but of course Saruman wanted some of them alive. The Pau'an thought it best just to rid the world of their existence, but he had his orders. Consequences of defying those orders would no doubt be severe.

One of the Uruks stood beside Saruman on the ramp. The Inquisitor figured he was the appointed leader of those creatures. Although, he hoped the Uruk knew where his loyalties lied. This was the Pau'an's mission, and they needed to remember their place.

The Death Troopers stood in front of the crowd of Uruk-hai. Their black helmets blocked their faces, but the Inquisitor noticed their nervous glances back at their 'allies.' He scoffed at them in his mind. They had nothing to worry about. They were modified troopers of the Empire. They had abilities far stronger than the average Imperial stormtrooper. That's why the Inquisitor was bringing them. Despite their improvement at aiming, sending stormtroopers to take out the rebels would be a lousy waste. They'd be dead before they even got the chance to shoot. The Pau'an had seen as much.

That had always made him wonder why the Emperor never kept the clone army in the first place.

"Hunt them down!" Saruman snarled down at the Uruks, "Do not stop until they are found! You do not know pain. You do not know fear. You will taste man-flesh!"

The Uruks roared out in triumph, gnashing their teeth and holding their swords up in the air. The Death Troopers no doubt were glad the creatures were on their side, considering that they _were_ human. The Inquisitor had no desire to 'taste man-flesh'.

Saruman then turned to the Uruk standing next to him and silently summoned the Pau'an to step forward as well.

"One of the Halflings carries something of great value," he said in a soft voice, "Bring them to me alive, and _unspoiled_."

The Uruk leader looked down in disappointment, but then lightened up after the wizard's next words.

" _Kill_ the others."

The creature then went down to prepare his troops to leave. The Inquisitor watched him for a second, and then glanced back at Saruman. The White wizard rose both his brows and gave a small nod. The Inquisitor didn't reply and just put on his helmet before going down the ramp. He then walked to the front where his own troops were waiting. With a nod from the Uruk leader, the Pau'an signaled his men.

"I'll take the lead," he informed them, "Stay close and try to keep up."

"Yes sir," replied the deep voice of the Death Trooper commander.

The Inquisitor turned towards the ramp that led to the surface. The sky was blocked by the smoke rising from all around Isengard. However, the land beyond that awaited. The land that had not yet faced the power of Mordor. But they would soon. Very soon. The Inquisitor doubted the Fellowship even suspected they were coming. He knew the Jedi would find out soon, though. They always sensed a disturbance in Force. But the Pau'an had a feeling that reassured him that by the time they figured out what was happening, it'd be too late.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The Dark Side flowed through his veins. He let the hate sink in. The hate that he had kept buried for so long against the Jedi. It was time to let it out. It was time to _hunt_.

One more memory from the past echoed in his head.

" _I still sense the Jedi and his padawan within my grasp._ "

The Inquisitor opened his eyes and immediately started to run up the ramp. The massive army behind him followed suite. His booted feet stomped hard against the wooden ground beneath him until finally he reached the land above. His eyes remained focused towards the exit of Isengard. He didn't care how fast he went, for the hate gave him energy. The hate gave him bloodlust. He could hear the soldiers behind him, and the constant roars of the Uruk-hai.

Fresh air filled the Inquisitor's nostrils as soon as they passed the gates of Isengard. The wind blew against him the faster he ran. Behind the mask he wore, his yellow eyes blazed with fury. Even though he was an ally to the White wizard, a part of him was glad to finally be out of that fallen place. He had tolerated Saruman's words long enough. He was ready to be in command now. In his rightful place.

His gaze shifted to his right, where giant hills were covered by thousands of trees that made up the forest of Fangorn. And then, his eyes looked to the land beyond that. Somewhere out there was the Woods of Lothlorian.

Where his prey awaited.

* * *

A pity it was indeed to have to leave the beautiful city of Caras Galadhon. Despite the strange feeling it had given most of the Fellowship, it had still been a peaceful place that they very much enjoyed. But as Ezra predicted, Aragorn wanted to set out as soon as possible. They had a good breakfast, but right after that, the young Jedi found himself packing his bags and following an Elf escort outside.

They did not go out the way they came in. Instead, the company was escorted to a large river, where boats had already been set for them. The crew of _the Ghost_ was surprised to find that they'd be taking boats for this part of the journey, but Aragorn had explained that Celeborn thought it necessary for them to do so. The river was called the Anduin, according to the Elves. It went on for miles and miles, which meant that the journey would take a couple days.

Ezra didn't know what to think about that. He hadn't really travelled on a boat before. Back on Lothal, that had been unnecessary, for they had speeders to take them places. The lack of technology on this planet would never be a thing Ezra would get used to. If only they had a ship. They could be in Mordor in no time. Unfortunately, this was how it had to be. Despite the darkness that awaited them, the bright side was that the crew could hopefully find some crashed Imperial Star Destroyers there, where they could salvage some parts to fix _the Ghost_. That hope was what kept them going on this Quest.

None of them had mentioned this to the rest of the Fellowship, and they didn't know if they ever would. They had no idea why they were keeping it to themselves. The others had known from the start that they had wanted to find a way off the planet. But after all their travels, they didn't know how they'd react if they told them they might've found a way. A strong bond had developed among all of them. The hobbits, in particular, had become very attached with the crew. Ezra wondered if they would be okay with them leaving in the end. Would they ever see them again? Hopefully.

Maybe when they finally got back to Rebel Command, they could put Middle Earth on the holo maps. That way they could visit anytime. However, Ezra was reminded of the strange mystery of _how_ exactly they got here to begin with. He, like the rest of his friends, still had no memory of the incident. He hadn't thought about it much, especially after all that had happened, but the thought still bugged him.

What bugged him even more was what he had seen in the mirror last night. He still couldn't get it out of his head. His eyes. The screams. The darkness that consumed him in the future. It was all planted in his brain, and Ezra wished he had never looked. Galadriel had assured him that it wouldn't happen if the Quest succeded, but what if it didn't? What if Sauron got the ring and destroyed all of Middle Earth? Would he still become that monster he saw in the water?

All of his Jedi training kind of felt like a waste now. Ezra felt doomed to this terrible fate. He didn't want to become that. Not after all he had done to help his friends and his home. He still had so much to do. He wanted to see a free Lothal. And if he was consumed by the Dark Side, he doubted that he would ever see that.

He had been fortunate to find everybody still sound asleep when he returned that night. None of them ever knew he and Sabine had left, and they intended to keep it that way. What they had seen in the mirror would remain a secret for now. As well as other things.

That made Ezra glance at the Mandalorian for a brief moment. He wondered if she was thinking about the same thing. Sabine's back was to him, but the young Jedi sensed something different about her. She seemed to zone out a lot as they were walking to the boats. That only confirmed for Ezra that she was thinking about it too. Honestly, that kiss was what had made that night so much better for him, and it even made him forget about his worries. He wondered what this meant for the two of them now. It was obvious that they had feelings for each other, but would they ever tell the others?

Kanan would kill him if he ever found out. Or would he? Ezra had noticed throughout the years that his master seemed to have a strong bond with Hera. But he had always been taught that attachment was forbidden for a Jedi. This was something he'd have to debate about. Fortunately, after a quick glance, Ezra didn't see any suspicion written on Kanan's face. Hopefully it'd stay that way.

The Fellowship did not get into the boats yet, for in the distance, they saw another boat approaching. It was carved in the likeness of a swan. The closer it got, the more easy it was for Ezra to see that it carried the Lady Galadriel. The Elf wore a smooth white cloak, with a hood resting lightly on top of her head. Her husband, Celeborn, was also approaching, followed by another party of Elves. The company eyed them curiously because, in their hands, they carried small little objects that looked like leaves as well as a couple of Elven cloaks.

When Galadriel set foot onto shore, they were instructed to stand in a straight line. To Ezra's surprise, the Elves presented the cloaks to him and his friends. What was even more shocking was that they had a cloak big enough for Zeb. The Lasat took it hesitantly, wondering if he'd look ridiculous or not if he put it on. There was only one way to find out. Ezra slightly smirked. It indeed made him look different, but not in a bad way. He resisted the urge to laugh when he saw that the cloak did not quite reach Zeb's feet.

As for the others, they too slipped their cloaks on and were astonished at how soft they felt. Ezra suspected that the Elves might've recently made these for the company. Their hosts then stepped forward and placed the leaves on the cloaks. Ezra looked down at his with a raised brow, wondering what they were for.

"Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people," Celeborn said to the Fellowship, "May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes."

Zeb frowned and whispered to Rex, "How exactly are they supposed to do that?"

The clone shrugged, just as confused, but he knew better than to underestimate the powers of the Elves. If they said these cloaks would help shield them from the enemy, then they meant it.

Ezra looked down at the cloak and admired the beautiful fabric, as did Hera and Sabine. The only one left out was poor Chopper, for droids didn't wear cloaks. The astromech just grumbled to himself. But then he said something that made Hera glare at him. Ezra didn't really want to know.

From the look of things, the Fellowship assumed that was it and they could be on their way. However, Galadriel all of a sudden rose her hand for them to stop. She then told them that she wished to present them with gifts to help them on their journey. Normally, a guest would decline such an offer, but for some reason, none of the company could deny her request. Not even Gimli, who was supposed to _hate_ Elves. And so the Lady of Lorien went to each of them and presented them with their gifts.

She went to Legolas first, presenting him with a beautiful looking bow.

"My gift to you, Legolas," she said to him, "is a bow of the Galadhrim, worthy of the skill of our woodland kin."

The Elf stared at the bow in awe and pulled it out, testing its strength. Galadriel smiled and then turned to Merry and Pippin. To them, she presented small daggers, that looked to have been used in the past.

"These are the daggers of the Noldorin," Galadriel explained, "They have already seen service in war."

Both hobbits unsheathed the daggers and studied them. Ezra could see a nervous expression on Pippin's face and kind of felt sorry for him. But Galadriel made the little hobbit look up at her.

She then said comfortingly, "Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage."

Pippin lightly smiled at her and nodded, although Ezra could still see him shaking a tad bit. He actually understood how he was feeling, because he was a little bit shaky too. But there was something about the Lady of Lorien that made the apprentice feel relaxed. She just had that face of comfort. Then again, Ezra remembered the little incident from last night where she basically went crazy in front of Frodo. He continued to reassured himself, though, that had just been a test that she passed.

Galadriel went to Hera next. The Twi'lek was about to say that she didn't need a gift, but couldn't. Her mouth was open, but no words came out. Usually, if Hera refused something, she'd come right out and say it, so this was very unusual for Ezra and the rest of the crew. Galadriel had one of the Elves present the Twi'lek with a beautiful golden Elven shield. Sabine, who was standing next to her, had her mouth hung open in shock. Hera looked just as bewildered. Her eyes soon met the Elf's.

"You are a born leader, Hera Syndulla," Galadriel said, "I saw it in yours eyes from the moment I first saw you." She then pointed at the shield the Twi'lek held in her arms. "This shield was made from the toughest metal in all of Lothlorian. It has been used in many battles and has never failed it's owner. May it serve you well in the coming war."

Hera looked back down at the shield in awe, and then stuttered, "T-Thank you."

The Lady of Lorien smiled at her and then went to Sabine. Ezra saw them stare at each other for a couple of seconds until the Mandalorian lightly smiled. Had Galadriel spoken to her in her mind again? Ezra brushed that off, knowing it was none of his business.

The Elf beside Galadriel stepped forward and handed Sabine a new sword that was covered in a sheath of beautiful design. She traced her fingers along said sheath for a few seconds and then pulled out the blade itself. It was amazing! The sword was covered with so much design that was no doubt Elvish. Sabine touched the blade and felt the cold steel and the design at the same time. Ezra could see the excitement in her eyes, although she tried to appear calm.

Galadriel then spoke, "You, Lady Wren, are one of the rarest women I have ever seen in Middle Earth. You have compassion as well as the heart of both a warrior and an artist. Both traits will serve you well in this Quest, which is why I give to you this Elvish blade. It is a blade worth admiring, but also a useful weapon, and I think it is better suited for you than your previous sword."

Sabine held the sword out in front of her, testing its weight. She swung it around a couple times, being careful not to hit anybody with it. Ezra could tell that she was impressed. Also, in his mind, he thought she looked quite beautiful when showing off. Of course, he wouldn't tell her that. Not right now, at least. Sabine put the sword back in its sheath and then gave the Elf lady a small bow of gratitude.

The next person Galadriel went to was Sam, presenting the hobbit with what looked like a rope.

"And for you, Samwise Gamgee: Elven rope, made of hithlain," she said.

Sam grabbed it with both hands and then shyly bowed, "Thank you, my lady." He paused for a second, and glanced at the blades Merry and Pippin were holding before looking back up at her, "Have you run out of those nice, shiny daggers?"

Galadriel just smiled at him and walked on to the next person. Sam lowered his head, feeling a bit guilty for asking the question. He didn't want to sound ungrateful. Sabine smirked at him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder, patting him.

Next up was Rex. The clone didn't really know what gift would serve him well, for he was used to fighting with his twin blasters. But like Hera, he couldn't bring himself to say the words, and was rather enchanted by the look Galadriel gave him. It was a hard stare, but also a kind one. Rex just couldn't put his finger on it. Then, to make things a little awkward, the Elf placed her hand on the side of the clone's face and gently traced her finger along his cheek. Rex tried to look as expressionless as possible, but Ezra noticed his cheeks slightly going red.

"To many," Galadriel finally said gently, "your face would be considered just an identical copy of another. But I see differently." Her hand then rested on his shoulder. "I see you as unique, Captain Rex. Unique and very special...like _all_ of your brothers."

Rex looked at her in surprise. What did she know about his brothers? How could she possibly know that he was a clone? But he didn't ask her these questions. All he did was stare at her and listen.

"And a unique person like yourself should me reminded of that," Galadriel said with a smile, "which is why you will receive a unique gift."

She then instructed the Elf beside her to hand him the gift. When Rex saw what it was, his eyes widened in disbelief. It couldn't be what he thought it was!

"A crossbow?!" the clone exclaimed, not realizing how excited he sounded, "I didn't even know you had something like this!"

Galadriel shook her head, amusedly, "It does not belong to us. It was recovered long ago, during a great Dwarf battle, and has been well taken care of." She then nodded down at it, "But I think it will be of better use for you."

The clone looked at his gift in admiration. It was indeed well taken care of, and remarkably didn't look old at all. It was in perfect condition. The whole bow was a dark silver, and the sunlight made it shine. It was no blaster, to be sure, but a welcome weapon nonetheless.

Rex then bowed to Galadriel, "Thank you very much, ma'am. I will take good care of it."

She smiled and nodded to him before walking to Zeb next. The Lasat was unfortunately doing a poor job at hiding his expressions, and pretty much the whole Fellowship could see he was nervous. Either that, or he was feeling really uncomfortable wearing the cloak. But then Galadriel unexpectedly took Zeb's hands and held them in hers. It was strange, considering his hands were ten times bigger, but the Lady of Lorien didn't seem to mind. The moment that happened, Zeb's nervous expression vanished, and he just stared at her, feeling calm all of a sudden.

"Be strong, warrior of Lasan," she whispered to him, "There is much you have yet to do. You are a great warrior, and carry the legacy of your people with you." Once again, she gave a reassuring smile, "I think, Zeb Orillious, you will soon find that you are braver than you realize."

The gift that the Lasat received was something that Ezra hadn't seen before on this planet. It was a sword, but a different sword at the same time. The design was unlike anything he had seen compared to the blades of the Elves, Men, and Dwarves in Middle Earth. On this sword, there was a big long blade that was attached to a long and thick hilt. On the other side of said hilt, was another blade, although shorter but still very sharp. The shapes of these blades looked Elvish, but didn't look like something they would wield. In fact, it seemed like it was the right size for Zeb. He grabbed the hilt and held the sword out in front of him, looking amazed at being given such a weapon.

"The blade was recently made for you," Galadriel explained, then pointing at his bo-rifle, "It is not meant as a replacement for your current weapon, but I believe you will prefer wielding it during future battles."

The sword felt so light within Zeb's grasp. He already loved it. But there was no way he was going to fight without his bo-rifle. He grinned for a second. It'd be a very interesting experience to wield both weapons at the same time.

The Lasat then gave a nervous chuckle to Galadriel and muttered, "Thank you."

Beside Zeb, Gimli stiffened, knowing he would be next. When he saw the Elf coming to him, he lowered his head and stared at the ground. Ezra could sense his heart pounding really fast. Galadriel looked down at him, but her face was unreadable.

"And what gift would a Dwarf ask of the Elves?" she questioned.

"Nothing," Gimli immediately replied, shaking his head. But then a change came over him and he looked up at her with complete admiration, "Except to look upon the Lady of the Galadhrim one last time, for she is more fair than all the jewels beneath the earth."

The dwarf received tons of surprised glances from the crew of _the Ghost_. Had he actually given an Elf a compliment?! Ezra thought he would never see the day. Gimli, like all the others, looked enchanted by the Lady of Lorien. When Galadriel heard him, she lightly giggled, seeming really flattered by his words. Gimli's face immediately turned red and he turned to leave, but then stopped. Once again, his expression changed and he turned back to her.

"Actually um," he stuttered, looking a little embarrassed, "there is one thing- ah, agh, that's quite impossible. Stupid to ask."

Galadriel just smiled and laughed, "What is it, dear friend, that you wish to have?"

Ezra couldn't wait to hear this. He had no idea what Gimli was planning to ask, but if it had him this worked up, then it'd probably be something that would make everybody burst out laughing. But the dwarf's next words actually surprised them all.

Confidence came across Gimli's face, "If I may, my lady, I would like to ask you for one hair from your golden head."

It was a strange request, to be sure. Yet, Galadriel didn't seem to mind. She smiled down at the dwarf and then pulled out three strands of her hair, giving them to him. Gimli took them and carefully placed them in one of his pockets. Ezra couldn't help but have a small smile as well. It was moments like these that gave him hope that maybe there was a chance that the rivalry between Dwarves and Elves could come to an end.

The last person Ezra expected Galadriel to go to next was Chopper. The astromech had rather frightened some of the Elves of Lorien, yet she knelt down in front of him, looking unbothered. Chopper just beeped at her, although he did so more quietly this time. Ezra rose a brow, wondering if the droid too was somehow enchanted with the Elf Lady. But that was ridiculous. Chopper was a droid. He didn't possess human emotions. Although sometimes it seemed like it.

Galadriel placed her hand on Chopper's domed head, a look of amusement on her face, "It is very interesting what forms life can take, even though it is difficult to understand it sometimes."

Chopper didn't know whether to be offended or flattered. He just tilted his whole metal body to the side for one second and beeped before standing straight again.

Galadriel removed from her cloak a scroll and offered it to the droid, "Make sure to keep this safe, little one. For you will need it."

Chopper looked at it for a second and then opened up the side of his domed head, grabbing the scroll with his little arms. He then opened up the scroll to see what it said. But then Ezra saw him beep in shock and annoyance and hold the scroll out. There was nothing on it. Zeb bit his lip and resisted the urge to laugh. Everybody, however, became confused as well, although they remained silent.

Chopper then beeped some sort of comment that made Hera's eyes go wide.

"Chop!" she hissed.

Galadriel held up a reassuring hand and laughed, "It is alright. I understand your little friend's confusion. Rest assured there is something on that scroll, but you just can't see it yet. Not until the time is right."

Chopper then looked down with guilt, regretting whatever he had just said. He then beeped something else that sounded to Ezra like a thank you. The Lady of Lorien nodded and stood back up. Chopper opened up one of his compartments and placed the scroll inside.

It was Ezra's turn to hold his breath, because he was next. Looking into Galadriel's eyes continued to remind him of last night, and the mirror. But her expression was lighter now compared to then, and she made no attempt to bring up the subject. Apparently what had been said that night was just a one-time talk, nothing more.

However, Galadriel then turned her eyes towards Kanan and beckoned him to step forward with his padawan. The Jedi Knight frowned but did as told. The Elf beside her then presented the two Jedi with interesting gifts. They were not weapons nor were they anything similar to what the other members of the Fellowship had received. They were, if Ezra guessed right, medallions. They were made out of gold and the apprentice could make out Elvish writing around the sides of them. The design itself was hard to make out, but it was easy for Ezra to see that it was something related to Lothlorian. They kind of looked like little waves. But that was just Ezra's opinion.

However, his design, compared to Kanan's medallion, was slightly different. The 'waves' moved diagonally up to the right corner of his medallion while his master's moved diagonally up to the left corner. Ezra had no idea what this meant. Maybe that was just how the Elves chose to design them.

"There is no stronger bond than that of a master and his student," Galadriel then said softly, putting the medallions around their necks, "These medallions may not look like much, but they will serve both of you well when the time comes. Treat them with care, Kanan Jarrus and Ezra Bridger."

Both Kanan and Ezra bowed in respect, although the apprentice tried his best to hide his disappointment. He didn't know what to think of his gift, but he wanted to look grateful.

"We shall, my lady," Kanan replied, "Thank you."

Ezra tried not to roll his eyes. Of course his master would show his gratitude. Before Galadriel went to the next person, though, she all of a sudden looked at him once more and smiled. That's when she finally spoke directly into his mind.

" _Tread carefully, Ezra. This moment marks the beginning of the hard times that await. But don't forget that you are strong. You can fight it._ " She then gave him a small nod. " _May your Force protect you._ "

There it was. Ezra had hoped not to hear such things, but he knew the Lady of Lorien all too well. Part of him was glad that she said something though, for her words gave him a little comfort. He nodded back at her and smiled. His eyes then looked over at the boats that were floating along the river. Ezra knew that the 'hard times' that Galadriel had spoken of would begin the moment he set foot on them. Was there dread in his heart? Absolutely. Was he ready to face it? Definitely. The Force would be with him, as well as all of his friends.

Aragorn was the next person Galadriel came up to. But she did present any gifts this time. Instead, she traced her hand along the necklace that the ranger had around his neck.

"I have nothing greater to give than the gift you already bear," she said.

Ezra then noticed a sad expression appear on her face and she then spoke to Aragorn in Elvish. Of course, the apprentice didn't understand what they were saying, so he just focused on both of their faces. But then he caught the name 'Arwen' among her words. That led Ezra to suspect that they were talking about Elrond's daughter, which seemed kind of a strange topic to discuss. Aragorn replied back in Elvish, his expression indicating both regret and satisfaction.

Galadriel nodded and then spoke in basic again, "That choice is yet before her." She gave the ranger a hard stare, "You have your own choice to make, Aragorn: To rise above the height of all of your fathers since the days of Elendil, or to fall into darkness with all that is left of your kin."

Both fell silent for a moment, but then Galadriel looked back down at the necklace and smiled, speaking in Elvish again. She placed her hand on Aragorn's cheek and then said something that sounded like another name. But this time, it was unfamiliar to Ezra. _Elessar_. Who was that? Was that another name of Aragorn's that none of them knew about? And what about Arwen? What was all that talk about a 'choice' being placed in front of her? Ezra wished Aragorn would be more open to discuss his personal life. He didn't do that often.

And finally, the last person Galadriel gave a gift to was Frodo himself. She handed the hobbit a crystalline vessel that was shaped like a teardrop. It was filled with clear water and a shining light. Ezra didn't know what it was for, but it looked beautiful all the same.

"Farewell, Frodo Baggins," she said, "I give you the light of Earandil, our most beloved star. May it be a light for you, in dark places, when all other lights go out."

Then, the Lady of Lorien bent down and kissed the Halfling on the forehead. Ezra couldn't see if Frodo was blushing or not, but he had a hunch that he was.

Galadriel gazed at all of the Fellowship one last time and smiled. They knew she would not see them off, which was kind of disappointing for some of them. Without saying a word, they all bowed once more, thanking her for the gifts. She nodded in return and then began to slowly turn away. As Ezra watched her leave, he wondered if he would ever see her again. It was a pity that they couldn't have someone like her with them to guide them on their journey. But Ezra also knew that this wasn't her Quest. It was theirs. And they'd have to work together to see it through. Hard times were coming, and difficult decisions along with them.

And Ezra promised himself that he would survive all of it.

* * *

The time had come to once again leave yet another beautiful Elven city. With their gifts in hand, the Fellowship of the Ring began to prepare to shove off. They found extra supplies waiting for them. Mostly it was food and water. But to Rex's delight, there was a huge crait just for him, packed with a huge supply of arrows for his new crossbow. The clone loaded that into his boat first before helping the others with the rest.

There wasn't much for the hobbits to do, so they just sat in the boats and watched their companions load up the stuff. Sam almost lost balance when he got into one of the boats, but fortunately grabbed onto both sides until it stopped rocking. Frodo joined him afterwards, still not saying much to any of his companions.

The Halfling's silence was really starting to bug Ezra. He had been like this nonstop since they left Moria. Yes, he had spoken last night to Galadriel by the mirror, but that didn't really count. Frodo just seemed so distant to _all_ of them, even Sam. And Ezra had yet to figure out what his little friend was planning on doing. If only _he_ could read minds. That would make things ten times easier.

Aragorn did not help load the supplies, and instead could be seen talking to Celeborn a good distance away. The Elf had a look of urgency in his eyes as he talked to the ranger. Ezra then saw Celeborn hand Aragorn a small dagger. His heart almost stopped. Was this related to the 'hard times?' Every part of the apprentice told him that this was a huge possibility. He shook his head. This was happening so soon and they hadn't even left the Elven city yet.

Ezra suddenly heard someone snap their fingers right in his ear. He turned and saw it was Kanan.

"Hey, not the time to rest, kid," the Jedi Knight said, "Once we get on the boats, you can rest all you like."

Ezra quickly nodded and forced himself to laugh, "Sorry, Kanan. Just zoned out for a second there."

Did his master buy it? Hopefully. But then, to Ezra's relief, Kanan just frowned and shook his head while loading one of the bags into a boat. However. to avoid any suspicion, the apprentice quickly helped him out with the rest.

Zeb, meanwhile, was loading supplies on one of the boats at the other end. The bad part, though, was that Merry and Pippin were sitting in said boat. But the Lasat remained silent. As long as he didn't say anything to those little runts, nothing would happen that would make him angry. Merry and Pippin were thinking the exact same thing and just looked at their daggers.

It was then that Legolas came by and loaded something into the boat. The Elf then reached into a bag and pulled out what looked like some sort of bread. He held it up for both hobbits to see. Zeb didn't pay attention and was instead looking through the remaining supplies.

"Lembas," Legolas said to the Halflings, "Elvish Way-bread." He then took a bite out of it and set it down. "One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man."

Zeb looked up at that and rose a brow. That was not true in the slightest, for he had eaten more than one of that bread before they even left the Elven city. Merry and Pippin just nodded at the Elf, appearing to be interested. However, when Legolas walked off to help Gimli get into one of the boats, Merry leaned close to his cousin.

"How many did you eat?" he asked in a whisper.

"Four," Pippin replied, suddenly belching right after he said that.

Zeb looked at them and snorted, "Four?! That's nothing. I ate about sixteen."

Both hobbits raised their brows at the Lasat and nodded. Their faces were expressionless. Zeb wanted to hit himself then. He shouldn't had even said anything, and now they were about to make some sort of comment. He could just see it by the look on their faces.

He stood up to his full height and placed his hands on his hips, "What?"

Pippin shook his head and shrugged, "Oh nothing. It's just not a surprise that you ate that many, considering how you look."

Zeb clenched his fists and leaned down towards the hobbits, making them scoot back a bit, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Pippin gulped, looking a little nervous, "Well, you're just... _big_ that's all. And usually people that are your size eat a lot of food."

Merry closed his eyes in regret. He had wanted his cousin to shut up the moment he stated his opinion. He knew this wasn't going to end well. And oh how right he was, especially after hearing Zeb pop his knuckles.

"This isn't fat, you little twirp!" Zeb growled, pointing at himself, "This is muscle. And if you keep talking, these muscles are gonna break your-!"

"Zeb," Hera called over, having a feeling what was going on and also needing help, "could you give me a hand with the rest of these supplies?"

The Lasat stood back up and looked at the Twi'lek. With a small sigh, he nodded that he'd be right there. But when Hera turned away, he looked back down at Merry and Pippin and jabbed a warning finger at them.

"The three of us are gonna finish this conversation _very_ soon," he grumbled, before walking over to the others.

Both Merry and Pippin just sat there, looking more uncomfortable than ever. There was no way in the world that they wanted to finish the talk. Because it'd result in the Lasat ending them. And they had already been threatened with that plenty of times.

Finally, Merry whispered to his cousin, "We're not riding on the boat with _him_...are we?"

Pippin shook his head reassuringly, "No. Aragorn said we're with Boromir."

Merry sighed with relief and mumbled, "Thank goodness."

Speaking of Boromir, the Gondorian had finished with his supplies and was just staring at the waters of the Anduin. His arms were crossed and his brow slightly furrowed. Sabine noticed him standing there and decided to walk up to him. Throughout there time in Lothlorian, the Mandalorian had noticed that Frodo hadn't been the only one silent. Boromir, too, had not said a word. Sabine remembered how he had wept all of the sudden when they had first met Galadriel. What had she said to him to put him in such a state? Sabine didn't know if Boromir would ever tell her. True, they had become friends during the journey, but he wasn't totally ready to share all of his thoughts with her.

She understood though. Everybody in the galaxy had their own secrets. So the Mandalorian just watched the river with him. Part of her was glad they wouldn't be travelling on foot for a while, even though it felt a bit strange to be using boats. Her feet needed the rest, as did everybody else.

"It's an odd coincidence," Boromir remarked, still looking at the Anduin, "These were the same waters where the Ring was lost for over two and a half thousand years." He then shook his head, "And now we have brought it back."

Sabine frowned. Was it just her or did the Gondorian seem to talk about the ring a lot? It seemed like it was becoming an obsession. The last time she and him spoke, he had wanted to take the ring to Gondor. Was he still wanting that? Probably. Sabine understood why he thought such things, for her people would've no doubt done the same thing. However, like Aragorn had said, the ring could not be wielded. Only Sauron could control it. It seemed like Boromir kept forgetting that.

"Well," Sabine said jokingly, "let's hope Frodo doesn't drop it by accident."

Boromir didn't look that amused, "If the Halfling knows what he's doing, then we should be fine."

Her smile slightly faded and she nodded her head, "I've travelled with him for a long time, and I trust him."

Boromir's only response to that remark was a simply shrug, "I hope you're right."

Sabine didn't say anything else. There was just something about her friend that seemed off. Why would a warrior like him doubt this quest now? One thing was for sure, Sabine could tell that Boromir was not acting like himself. And it was not for the better. He wasn't well. The Mandalorian had no idea if Lothlorian had anything to do with this or not. But she never got the chance to ask, as suddenly she heard someone shout from behind. Both Sabine and Boromir turned around to see Rex beckoning them over to the boats.

"Hey, you two," the clone shouted, "let's move it. We're shoving off."

Without another word, both warriors rushed over to the rest of the Fellowship, double checking one more time that everything was with them.

When Aragorn finally returned as well, it was time to get going. The company split into pairs of two or three for each boat. Frodo and Sam were with Aragorn, Merry and Pippin were with Boromir, Sabine and Chopper were with Hera, Ezra was with Kanan, Gimli was with Legolas, and Zeb was with Rex. Once everyone was situated, one of the passengers from each boat grabbed the oars and slowly began to row.

They were slow at first, for they looked around the Woods of Lothlorian one last time, and hated to bid it farewell. They would miss this place, for it had returned some of the happiness that they had lost when Gandalf fell in Moria. And of course, each one of them thought of the Lady Galadriel. They thought back to when she had given them the gifts. A couple of the men smiled to themselves, even Zeb and Rex. Yes, they would miss looking upon her. Gimli had been right when he said that she was more fair than all the jewels of this world.

Before they were completely gone from the woods, Ezra felt something through the Force, as if someone was watching them leave. He looked around and stopped when he saw Galadriel herself hiding behind one of the trees. He didn't know how to react, for he could not tell if she was looking at him or not. But then the Lady of Lorien rose her hand, bidding one final farewell. Yes, she was looking at him. Ezra didn't know how he knew this, but he just did. His only response was simply smiling at her. The sun suddenly came out and shined into the apprentice's eyes. When a branch finally blocked it, he looked for Galadriel again, but found that she was nowhere to be seen. He didn't try to look harder, because he knew that had been her last goodbye.

And thus began the journey down the Anduin river.

Ezra could not express enough how glad he was that they were not walking for a while. And the longer he stayed in the boat, the more used to it he became. It wasn't comfortable, unfortunately. There was definitely no way he could sleep. Kanan had decided to do the rowing, which was quite interesting to experience for a guy who was blind. So Ezra just watched all around him as they rowed down the Anduin.

Not much was said from anybody, except for a couple directions from Aragorn on where exactly they were going. The ranger was at the front of the group, with everybody else kind of spread out along the river behind him. Everybody rowed at a steady pace, not too slow but not too fast either. They all seemed lost in their own thoughts as the silence continued. Ezra definitely was.

Now that they were out of Lothlorian, a whole lot of worries started to come back to the young apprentice. Aragorn had said he knew a path that would get them to Mordor, but Ezra started to wonder how they would get past its gates without being seen. Boromir had even said that there were things there that didn't sleep, and _always_ watched the gate. Sauron was probably one of those things.

And what about the Empire? Yes, it was quite obvious to Ezra that there was definitely an alliance between the dark forces of Mordor and the evil Galactic Empire. Had the Imperial forces shared any tech with their new allies? That was something the apprentice couldn't figure out. He remembered back in Moria that the Orcs had used their own weapons as well as the stormtroopers. There was probably a chance that the those creatures were still vulnerable, but the Empire had more advanced tech. For all Ezra knew, they could've placed scanners along the black gate. If they did that, then there was definitely no chance of getting in. Not even if Frodo slipped on the ring and became invisible.

It was a pretty bad deal. They could get caught either by Imperial scanners or the Great Eye. Ezra knew that the others were aware of this too, but Aragorn had simply said that they'd figure it out when they reached Mordor. How though? If there was a miracle, Ezra prayed that it'd come. They _had_ to get into Mordor. Not just to destroy the ring, but also to get parts to fix _the Ghost_. Of course, there was the other problem of how exactly they would transport the parts back to the Shire. Maybe not everything had been destroyed in the crash. Maybe the Empire had transports the crew could use. But they couldn't know for sure yet. All those answers awaited in Mordor.

All these thoughts in Ezra's head suddenly lead him to staring at the medallion he'd received. And when he did so, a frown came to his face. It wasn't that the gift was bad, he just didn't get what it was for. All his other friends received weapons to defend themselves, and yet he got this necklace that didn't appear to be doing anything. He could honestly say that his confusion was greater than his disappointment. And it apparently could be sensed through the Force.

"I sense confusion in you, Ezra," Kanan said all of a sudden.

Ezra closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. He had a feeling that this was going to happen. He could never really keep _all_ his feelings to himself. Most yes, but there were times where his master could read him easily.

He decided to be honest. "I don't know. I guess I just don't fully get what these medallions of ours are for."

Kanan gave a small smile and shrugged, "Neither do I, kid. But I think that's what Galadriel expects us to think. She said we'd know, when the time is right. All we can do is trust her."

Ezra nodded, "I know. She just really confuses me."

The Jedi Knight laughed, "Who in this company doesn't she confuse?"

Ezra rose a brow, "Aragorn."

Kanan tilted his head for a second and then sighed and nodded, "That's probably true."

Ezra smiled and looked up ahead again for a couple minutes. However, he then had the urge to ask his master about another thing that was on his mind. Well, a thing that was probably on _everyone's_ minds.

"Kanan," he said quietly so the Fellowship couldn't hear, "do you really think it's possible? The Imperials being part of the fleet over Mustafar?"

Kanan frowned, "Most likely. Sabine has concrete evidence from the helmet that that's where they originated from. And from what I can tell, that's the only logical explanation of them being here."

"But still," Ezra replied back, "how in the world could they have been hiding all this time without anybody noticing? I still don't get it."

That was still something nobody could get. The explanation for how they came here made sense, but their concealment still remained a mystery to even the wisest of all Middle Earth. But this time Ezra found the expression on Kanan's face to be different.

"I'm beginning to think you were correct with your theory," the elder Jedi muttered, "The one you gave back in Moria."

Ezra's stomach slightly tightened, "You're thinking it's the Dark Side?"

Kanan nodded, "The more I think about the Orcs and the Empire being in the Mines at the same time, the more my mind goes to that masked figure Gandalf mentioned dwelling in Isengard."

Ezra tilted his head, "What does he got to do with this?"

"Don't underestimate him, Ezra," Kanan warned his apprentice sternly, "He's not what he seems. He is strong with the Dark Side of the Force, and is most likely the one who's hidden the Empire's presence from everyone on the planet." He lowered his head. "I've seen such methods before, back when I was a padawan. Darth Sidious did the exact same thing with the Jedi Order for decades. The Dark Side prevented us from seeing his plot, until it was too late."

All of these things weren't new to Ezra. He had had plenty of experience firsthand with the Dark Side. Sometimes he remembered how cold he felt when in the presence of Darth Vader. He knew the Dark Side clouded so many things from view. Although, Kanan's warning to not underestimate the masked man was a bit unnecessary, because he had already known something was not right about him. But Ezra decided just to remain quiet about that, because it wasn't really worth it.

The way his master had just spoken, though, almost seemed like he had already completely figured out the masked figure and what he was capable of.

"You can feel his presence," Ezra simply replied.

"I can," Kanan answered with a nod, "The closer we get to Mordor and Isengard, the more I become aware of his presence."

Ezra looked at him confusedly, "Why can't I feel anything?"

He really couldn't. The Force was not sending any warnings to his mind. The apprentice wasn't sure if it was just the worries he couldn't stop thinking about or what. Other than that, he felt completely fine.

"Good question," his master replied with another frown, "I don't really have an answer to that." His expression changed again, as if in deep thought. "I don't know why, but for some reason, the masked figure feels...almost familiar. I can't depict where I've felt such a presence before, but-"

Kanan stopped talking all of a sudden and quickly turned his head around, looking back the way they came. He stopped rowing and the boat just went still along the river. The other members of the Fellowship noticed this and stopped too, looking back at the two Jedi with confusion. Ezra was just as confused, because he had no idea why his master suddenly stopped.

He jumped a little when he saw a flock of birds take flight from a nearby tree. He studied them for a second, and was relieved to see that they didn't look like the Crebain they had seen earlier during the start of the journey. However, Kanan never moved his head towards the birds' direction, so Ezra assumed that wasn't why he had stopped. The elder Jedi looked disturbed, and the apprentice could tell that his heart was pounding fast with worry.

Ezra then noticed from the corner of his eye that Legolas suddenly looked around too, just as worried as Kanan was. None of the others knew what was going on, though.

Ezra placed a hand on his master's shoulder, "Kanan?"

The Jedi Knight didn't reply.

Finally, Aragorn called out to him from up ahead, "Kanan? What is it?"

That seemed to get his attention this time. Ezra felt Kanan begin to breath normally again, but he still sensed some worry within him.

Kanan turned back around and answered, "It's nothing. False alarm."

The ranger's brow furrowed for a couple seconds, but then he nodded and signaled for the Fellowship to continue rowing. The Jedi Knight followed suite, but he and Ezra didn't say anything else throughout the whole day. And apparently he didn't notice his apprentice glance back at him suspiciously off and on.

His master had said that it was nothing, but why did Ezra get the strange feeling that he was lying?

* * *

It was another long day, and the Fellowship finally found a good piece of land where they could stop and rest for the night. The sun was almost down when the company set foot on dry land. Ezra sighed with relief as he stretched his arms and legs. That stupid boat had really become uncomfortable throughout the day. The hobbits could care less and just collapsed onto the ground like they always did.

They lit a small fire that night, but made sure not to let it go bright. Aragorn had said they were now getting close to the territory where Orcs would be patrolling the shores. But the Fellowship could care less about Orcs at this time of day. They were hungry and ready to sleep. Sam cooked what little meat he had left and offered it to as much of the company as he could. Zeb took the biggest helping of it, but not before receiving a glare from the rest of the crew of _the Ghost_.

Aragorn and Legolas did not take any meat, and instead ate a bit of Lembas bread. But Ezra noticed that Frodo didn't eat a bite out of anything offered to him. He just sat there, leaning against a large stone, and staring off into the distance. This, of course, bugged Sam. When everybody was done eating and either sleeping or hanging around the shore for a bit, Ezra noticed Sam and Frodo talking to each other quietly. He didn't bother to eavesdrop on their conversation, but had a small hope that the Ring Bearer's friend could talk some sense into him.

However, Ezra had no idea of how that turned out, because his attention was all of a sudden brought to another situation.

Earlier on, before the company had stopped for the night, the apprentice had had a strange feeling that they were being followed. Frodo had also had the same feeling. When Ezra had looked back to investigate, he thought that he could see, far behind them, a lone log floating along the river. Coincidently, it had kept up with them for the rest of the day. Ezra had thought that he could see two bulging eyes on the log, but had brushed that off as him being tired.

However, now he knew he was wrong. And he knew that this was no log that had been following them.

He was standing on the riverbank, behind a large stone, with Kanan, Hera, Sabine, and Boromir. The Gondorian was in front of them all, and peered suspiciously at that log. For it had finally come to their campsite, and they all could see two thin sickly arms rowing it. Ezra knew exactly who it was. But Aragorn came up beside them and said it before he could.

"Gollum," the ranger explained, specifically to Boromir, "He's tracked us since Moria."

Kanan and Hera exchanged glances and then looked back at the 'log', frowning. Ezra and Sabine had told them about Gollum during their stay in Lothlorian, and his appearance definitely fit their description. They couldn't see the creature too well, but they could make out the top of his head and his arms.

Ezra could hear Gollum hissing at them as his two big bulgy eyes poked out from above the log. He noticed his hand had just went down to his lightsaber. That thing gave him the creeps, and part of him was afraid that he could attack them all.

Aragorn shook his head, "I had hoped we would lose him on the river, but he's too clever a waterman."

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts," Boromir murmured, "it will make the crossing even more dangerous."

Once she heard that, Hera had an uneasy look on her face, "Would he really tell the enemy about us? I thought Gandalf said they tortured him."

"But he also said it was possible that Sauron set him loose," Sabine replied, looking thoughtfully at the creature, "They could be tracking Gollum without him even realizing it."

Kanan sighed, "I really hope that's not the case. We already have enough complications in this quest."

Aragorn nodded, "Agreed."

Ezra eyed Gollum as he paddled the log along the river. The creature apparently wasn't paying attention to where he was going because he bumped into a rock. Ezra smirked at that. For trying to make the Fellowship unaware of his presence, Gollum was doing a really _poor_ job at it. But none of the company made a move to go get him, so the apprentice assumed that they'd just let it be. Unless Gollum alerted the enemy of their presence, he wasn't really a threat to them. At least not right now.

Kanan glanced back at his apprentice, "Ezra, can you do me a favor and check on the others? Also let them know of what's going on."

Ezra nodded, "Yes master."

He turned around and for a second glanced at Sabine, and gave her a small smile. But before anyone noticed, he rushed back to the camp. He gritted his teeth. It was _so_ hard to keep this a secret from everybody! Ezra had a feeling that one of these times he was going to mess up and get caught. But he couldn't help it. He couldn't get that kiss out of his head.

He had to find something else to distract him. And fortunately, that wasn't hard to find. He saw Zeb and Rex by the fire, admiring their gifts. Ezra resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It kind of felt like they were bragging about how great their gifts were without even saying a word. Rex was sitting down on a nearby log and was pointing his crossbow at a column of trees, apparently testing how good the target was. Zeb was standing up and dangerously swinging around his double-bladed sword. Ezra noticed that the Lasat was standing not that far away from where Merry and Pippin were sleeping. He rose a brow.

Was that just a coincidence or was it intentional?

On second thought, Ezra didn't really want to know.

Both Zeb and Rex stopped messing with their weapons when they saw the young Jedi approach. The Lasat set down his sword and crossed his arms.

"Well?" he asked, "What's going on over there?"

Ezra set down next to Rex and replied, "Gollum's back."

Zeb groaned, "Karabast. Not that bloody creature."

Rex looked at the Jedi, "If they need me to take him out for them, I'd be more than happy to do it." He then held up his crossbow and smirked, "With a little help, of course."

Before Ezra could reply, Zeb let out a loud huff and picked up his sword again. The apprentice leaned forward and put his face in his hands. They were at it again.

"If they need that creature killed, _I'll_ be the one to do it," the Lasat replied, holding out his sword, "This will be much more effective in getting the job done."

Rex scoffed, "Oh please. You wouldn't even be able to catch him, unless you're a good swimmer." The clone twirled his crossbow in his hand, "You need a weapon that can shoot long distance."

"You're not referring to that poor excuse for a gun, are you?" Zeb questioned with a smirk.

"Nobody's gonna kill anybody," Ezra butted in, hoping to end their little 'argument', "As far as I can tell, Aragorn wants us to leave him alone."

That lowered both the clone and the Lasat's spirits. Ezra could see the disappointed expressions on their faces. But he knew, in reality, that they were just wanting to try out their new weapons. Whether it was Orcs or Gollum made no difference to them.

Warriors. So predictable.

"Pity," Zeb murmured with a sigh, and looked down at his sword, "I would've very much liked to see how good this thing was."

Ezra had called it. However, he realized that he was wrong about the 'argument' ending, because Rex immediately got up and stood in front of the Lasat, his arms crossed.

"First off," the clone said, jabbing his finger at Zeb, "a crossbow is not a 'poor excuse for a gun.' It is a _very_ effective weapon."

"Oh really?" Zeb chuckled, "Have you actually _used_ one before?"

Rex rose a brow, "Do you really want me to answer that? You'd be surprised of what you could find when you're fighting in a war."

Zeb let out a sarcastic yawn and answered, "You're right. I don't want you to answer that."

As both soldiers continued to talk on and on about their weapons, Ezra found himself staring over at Sabine more than listening to them. So much for a distraction. Although, right now he didn't mind. The Mandalorian's back was to him anyways, so she couldn't see him staring at her. Or could she? For as long as Ezra had known Sabine, she had always done things that surprised him. Maybe she did know he was looking at her, but just didn't mind. That's what he hoped, at least.

Ezra had to admit that Sabine looked kind of beautiful in the moonlight. Maybe that was just because he was attracted to her. He couldn't really tell the difference. All he knew was that his feelings for her had become stronger. However, Ezra's view of Sabine was suddenly blocked by a face. That knocked him out of his trance and he realized it was Zeb's. The Lasat had a raised brow and was looking at him weirdly.

"What in the world are you staring at?" he asked suspiciously.

Ezra immediately shook his head in defense, "What? I don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't staring at anything."

Zeb's expression didn't change, "Um, yes you were." He pointed back to where he had been standing, "I just saw you, kid. You were just sitting there, looking like you had been put under hypnosis."

Rex let out a small chuckle and held up his hand, "Well, I wouldn't go _that_ far, but yes, you were clearly staring at something, kid."

"No I wasn't!" Ezra snapped, trying to sound convincing, "I was just...thinking that's all."

Zeb and Rex looked at each other and then turned their heads to the direction the Jedi had been staring at. It wasn't hard for them to figure out _who_ he had been looking at. Both the clone and the Lasat looked back at him, wide grins on their faces. Ezra felt his heart pounding, but tried to look innocent.

"Thinking, huh?" Zeb murmured, biting his lip, "Thinking about Sabine?"

" _No_!", Ezra immediately answered.

But then he realized that he had just given himself away. One, because of the way he said it. And two, because he had become red in the face. Once that happened, Zeb burst out laughing and collapsed against the rock. Rex, too, was laughing, but not as bad as the Lasat. Up on the riverbank, Sabine heard the commotion from behind and looked back with a raised brow. Ezra didn't want her to find out what was going on, so he just smiled and waved at her. She waved back, and then resumed her conversation with the others, slightly shaking her head.

Ezra then glared at Zeb and hit him in the shoulder, "Will you knock it off!"

Rex stopped laughing after a little bit, but it took Zeb a longer time to stop. When he finally did, he was having a difficult time breathing. Ezra was secretly glad that Chopper had shut himself down for the night, otherwise this would've been a disaster. Rex then sat down next to the young Jedi and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, cut the kid a break," he told Zeb, "So he's attracted to her. It's no big deal."

"I know," Zeb said with a small chuckle, "But why is he making a big deal out of it? He's acting like they're secretly together or something."

Ezra looked down when he said that. And he gave himself away again, because when Zeb saw the guilty expression on his face, his jaw dropped. Rex's eyes widened in shock as well.

"Wait," Zeb said in surprise, "you two are-?!"

" _Yes_!" Ezra hissed quietly, admitting defeat, "Keep your voice down, will you?!"

There was no point in denying it now. The clone and the Lasat had figured him out. All three just sat there in silence for a few seconds. Ezra had no idea how they were going to respond, but if Zeb burst out laughing again, he was going to kill him.

To his surprise, he didn't. The Lasat just leaned back and let out a whistle, indicating that he was shocked.

"Well...Kanan's gonna kill you," Zeb finally said.

Ezra rolled his eyes. Looks like he wasn't the only one who thought that. But Rex immediately shook his head.

" _Kanan_ is no better," he countered, "Haven't you seen the way he looks at General Syndulla?"

Zeb frowned at that and nodded, "Fair point."

Ezra then snapped his fingers to get their attention, "Look guys, I'd really appreciate it if we kept this just between us for right now, okay?"

Zeb's frown darkened, "You're not going to tell Hera and Kanan?"

The apprentice shook his head, "Not yet. I will...eventually, but this isn't the time nor place for it." He held up a warning finger, "I'm trusting you guys to keep this a secret until I figure out the right time to tell them. Can I count on you?"

Zeb and Rex exchanged glances again, and Ezra crossed his fingers that they'd agree to this. If not, he knew he was doomed. Sure, maybe Kanan was no better than he was, but he knew that revealing his relationship with Sabine would result in one of those 'talks' regarding the Jedi Code.

Rex finally smiled and nodded, "Your secret's safe with me, kid."

Zeb sighed, "Same here." He held up a warning figure of his own, "But you owe me _big_ time for this."

Ezra smiled at them both, feeling relieved once more, "Thank you."

No doubt the three of them would've continued the conversation, but all of a sudden they heard raised voices over by the riverbank. They all gave each other a questionable look, wondering what was going on up there. Eventually, they silently agreed that they should go investigate. Making sure not to wake anybody else up, they slowly crept to the others. Once there, they found Boromir and Aragorn in a somewhat heated argument.

"Minas Tirith is the safer road," the Gondorian insisted, "You know that. From there we can regroup...strike out for Mordor from a place of strength."

Aragorn shook his head, "There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us."

"You were quick enough to trust the Elves," Boromir countered, "Have you so little faith in your own people?"

Ezra shot a confused glance over to Kanan, Hera, and Sabine, but neither one of them responded. They just stood completely still and watched the confrontation between the two. Ezra wondered how all of this started.

"Boromir.." Sabine began.

But the man paid no mind to her and continued with what he was saying, "Yes, there is weakness. There is frailty. But there is courage also, and honor to be found in Men. But you will not see that."

Aragorn made a move to turn away, but without warning Boromir seized him by the arm and pulled him back. Everybody stared on, wide-eyed by the Gondorian's sudden anger.

"You're afraid!" Boromir shouted furiously, "All your life, you have hidden in the shadows! Scared of who you are, what you are!"

Immediately, Sabine rushed up and forced the Gondorian to let go of Aragorn's wrist, "Boromir, that's enough!"

Boromir angrily forced his arm out of the Mandalorian's hands and glared at her, "Why are you defending him?! You, Sabine, should understand more than anyone else here! The only way to win against Sauron is to attack him with brutal force! Not sneaking around until something finally kills us!"

For the first time in a while, Ezra saw both warriors stare at each other in complete anger. What had gotten into Boromir? Why was he saying all of this now? Part of the young Jedi wondered if Sabine thought the man's logic made sense. But she looked to be on Aragorn's side. And he was too. For he had seen plenty of what Sauron was capable of, and no army could easily take him down.

"That may have been how I used to think," Sabine replied calmly, "but that's not who I am now. I understand what you're trying to say, Boromir. I too made a similar mistake. But believe me when I say that _this_ is not the answer."

Ezra doubted that she would get through to him, and he was right.

Boromir laughed in disbelief and shook his head, "I can't believe this. I thought you were a real warrior like me." His jaw tightened and he looked at her with disapproval, "I guess I was wrong."

Sabine gave him a dark look, but Ezra could feel how hurt she was by his words. Honestly, he was just as angry with the Gondorian.

Boromir then turned back to Aragorn and looked at him with disgust, "You're supposed to be our king. You have no right to be king. You're nothing but a coward."

The ranger looked to be turning away, but then suddenly he turned back and answered harshly, "I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city!"

Both men looked at each other in complete hatred.

Ezra gulped and whispered to Zeb, "I think now is a good time to turn in."

The Lasat nodded in agreement, "Good idea."

They both immediately turned around and began walking back to the camp. Zeb, though, kept on looking back at the others, half expecting to see a fight break out. But none came. He was about to whisper something to Ezra, but suddenly tripped over something and landed flat on his face. The loud thud woke everybody else up. Zeb immediately turned around and saw that it had been Frodo he had tripped over. The hobbit just looked at him, obviously bewildered about what had happened. The others had heard the Lasat trip, and they too looked back at them.

"Oh Frodo, I'm so sorry!" Zeb apologized, looking very embarrassed, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

The hobbit shook his head reassuringly, "No, you just kicked me in the arm. But it's fine."

The Lasat nodded, feeling a little relieved. However, before he got up, Hera then walked over, frowning curiously.

"Hold it," she said, pointing down at the Ring Bearer's arm, "Frodo, what's that on your sleeve?"

Everybody, including the hobbit, looked down to where the Twi'lek was pointing. Ezra's eyes narrowed when he did so, because what he was seeing was something very strange. There was a small electric spark coming out of Frodo's sleeve. The others saw it too and walked over to examine it with Hera and Zeb. Those who had just woken up (which included Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gimli, and Legolas) walked over to join them as well, not sure what was going on. Chopper was the only one still fast asleep.

Legolas eyed the small spark suspiciously, "What is that?"

Hera shrugged, "I have no idea."

Rex knelt down beside her, holding out his hand and sending a glance to Frodo, wondering if he could examine his arm. The hobbit nodded and held it out to him. Slowly, the clone captain moved his fingers close to the small spark. That's when Ezra saw his fingers make contact with something. Something that was small and round. Without a second thought, Rex yanked the small round object off of Frodo's arms and examined it up close.

A few seconds later, his eyes widened, "I do. It's a homing beacon!"

When the crew of _the Ghost_ heard that, they froze, looking just as alarmed as the clone.

Gimli looked at Rex, looking both confused and bewildered, "What's a homing beacon?"

"A small device that can track people's moves," Kanan replied before the clone could. He looked at the hobbit, "Frodo, how long has this been on you?!"

Frodo shook his head nervously, "I don't know. I never noticed it before."

"How could you not have noticed it?!" Ezra asked.

Another close look, and Rex answered the apprentice's question, "Because someone installed a cloaking mechanism on it. Zeb's little trip must've finally damaged it."

"But how did this even get on him?!" Sabine demanded, as confused as the rest, "Nothing had ever gone near him except for that cave troll back in Moria. And I think that thing would be too stupid to put a device on him."

As the others debated amongst themselves about what was going on, Ezra suddenly once again found his attention drawn away from them. But this time, he had a cold feeling rushing through his body. He felt a disturbance in the Force. And for some reason, it was making him feel very uncomfortable this time. His eyes began to slowly look towards the column of trees located just off the riverbank.

Kanan noticed his apprentice sudden silence and tilted his head, "Ezra? What is it?"

The Fellowship fell silent when the Jedi Knight spoke and looked at Ezra. They could see that the apprentice's face had become completely serious and his eyes were focused on the forest.

"We're being watched," Ezra finally replied.

Kanan looked back at the others, and they returned the look. Then, cautiously, they grabbed their weapons. They knew the young Jedi was telling the truth, but they weren't sure of what it was that he felt.

"By who?" Zeb asked nervously, holding his sword in one hand and his bo-rifle in the other, "Gollum?"

Kanan suddenly went stiff, and his face turned towards the forest as well, "No...by _him_!"

Before anyone knew what was happening, the Jedi Knight reached out with his hand and then used the Force to yank it down. Out from the top of one the trees, a figure immediately fell down and collapsed onto the ground. The Fellowship looked closely and saw that he was wearing a dark cloak. Some of them didn't recognize him, but others (like Aragorn, the crew of _the Ghost_ , and the hobbits) did.

Sam's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "It's the tenth rider!"

No sooner had the hobbit said that, then Kanan and Ezra had their lightsabers out and activated. It indeed was the tenth rider. When the figure saw the weapons activated, he attempted to run back into the forest, but both Jedi were on to him and used the Force to pull him back. Unfortunately, they had failed to realize that by doing so they let their guard down, because the rider suddenly pushed down on his hands and launched himself back at the group, his booted feet making contact with the Jedi's' faces.

The rest of the Fellowship realized the danger and unsheathed their swords, standing in attack formation. But Gimli was too slow and was abruptly kicked in the gut by the enemy and then punched in the face. He was down within a second. The rider then stood still, his hooded face looking around at all of the members of the company. Boromir suddenly launched a surprise attack on him. His shield made contact with the rider's face, and a brief grunt of pain was heard. Then, the Gondorian attempted to swing his sword right through him, but to his surprise, the other grabbed onto the blade with both hands. Nobody could tell if it was cutting into his flesh, nor did they really have time to look, because then, when Boromir was caught off guard, the rider kicked him in the leg and then shoved the rest of him down onto the ground.

Gimli, who had recovered from the blow, made another attempt to attack the enemy, Sabine and Aragorn by his side. All three swung their weapons at the same time, in an attempt to at least injure the rider, but the latter instead leapt high into the air and landed behind him. Fortunately, Hera had predicted that move and before he could so much as knock one of the three out, the Twi'lek fired her blaster at him. The rider responded by leaping back behind a pile of large rocks, missing each laser bolt.

What he failed to see was Zeb hiding in the rocks as well. Before the rider knew what was happening, he found himself in a headlock with the Lasat's bo-rifle.

"You and I have a little score to settle, rider!" Zeb growled, remembering their last encounter.

But his victory was short-lived, because the rider then grabbed the weapon with both of his hands, and with some unexpected strength, flipped the Lasat over. Zeb landed on his back and found himself looking up at the rider's hooded face. He didn't get a chance to move. The rider grabbed the Lasat's throat and squeezed tightly. Zeb didn't realize how strong he was and found himself choking to death. He struggled to break free, but he couldn't. The mysterious foe had him pinned down. Zeb tried punching him, but his fists kept missing its target. He was starting to see spots before his eyes.

The rider was about to finish him, but he suddenly heard a yell. He let go of Zeb's throat and turned around to see Ezra charging at him, his lightsaber activated once more. Before he could make a move, the apprentice pulled his hand back and quickly jerked it forward, using the Force to send the rider flying back and crashing into a tree.

The Fellowship took that as their chance. All of them rushed over and surrounded that very tree, pointing their weapons at their foe. The rider, however, made no move to get up and just sat there, his face lowered. Zeb, who was still slightly clutching his throat, stood on the left side of the tree, his bo-rifle ready. Rex did likewise with the right side of the tree, his crossbow in hand.

They had caught him.

Kanan glanced over at the Lasat, a concerned look on his face, "Zeb? You okay?"

The Lasat nodded, let out a loud cough, and then let go of his throat, "I'll manage."

Ezra's eyes remained fixed on the rider. He pointed his lightsaber close to his head, half expecting him to try something. But he didn't. He just sat there, now completely motionless, except for the heavy breathing.

Legolas's eyes narrowed and he glanced at Aragorn, " _This_ is the tenth ringwraith that you spoke of?"

Aragorn nodded, "He's been a thorn in our side since Bree."

Legolas looked back down at the rider and studied him closely. He then shook his head, "He is no wraith."

Rex frowned up at him, "What do you mean he's not a wraith?"

"I know the Nazgul," the Elf responded, "I know their actions and how they behave." He tilted his head down towards the rider, "He is not one of them."

Aragorn frowned as well, "I had had similar thoughts, especially when we fought him back in Trollshaw forest. His attack was..strange. Unlike anything I had witnessed from the other ringwraiths."

"Well if he's not a black rider then who the heck is he?" Zeb demanded.

Kanan crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at the motionless rider, "Let's ask him."

Ezra glanced at his master, seeking permission to do the talking. Kanan gave him a small nod. Slowly, the apprentice walked up to the rider, putting his blade close to his neck. Still, the latter did not budge.

"Who are you?" Ezra demanded firmly. When he got no reply, he pushed his blade closer, "Don't think that we won't kill you."

It was then that something changed, but it was not what any of the Fellowship had expected. The rider began to laugh. It didn't sound anything like a ringwraith's, yet it was still creepy all the same. Yet, there was something about that laugh that sounded...familiar to Ezra.

The rider then spoke in a smooth yet menacing voice, "Oh Ezra, do you _really_ want to kill me?"

Ezra stood up and backed away a little. That voice. He knew that voice. And so did the rest of the crew of _the Ghost_. The rider reached up and pulled back his hood. The locals of Middle Earth looked at the revealed face in horror. This individual was no human. He was red-skinned, with black tattoos all over his face. Horns were on top of his head, and he had piercing yellow eyes.

A Zabrak.

Ezra looked at him, horrified, " _Maul_?!"

Maul looked at the young Jedi and smiled, "It's been a while, my apprentice."


	37. Chapter 36

**Back with another chapter. I'm glad you guys liked the big reveal at the end of the previous chapter. I figured you might. lol :) Darth Maul is one of my favorite villains in the Star Wars universe, and I honestly couldn't pass up the opportunity to include him in this story. I've been looking foreword to revealing him as the tenth rider for a LONG time. lol. Also, I too was really shocked at seeing Maul cameo in Solo. That was one awesome movie, and I really hope they make more. Be ready to see a lot of him as we continue the story. :) Now this chapter might not be as long as the previous one, but I think you'll enjoy it. :) Be back again soon, guys. :)**

* * *

 ** **Chapter 35: Just An Old Friend****

What happened next happened _really_ fast, and with good reason. Kanan immediately activated his lightsaber and pointed it down at their captive. The rest of the crew of _the Ghost_ set their blasters to kill. Every one of them was in complete shock. The other members of the Fellowship followed their lead, seeing the expressions on their faces.

Aragorn looked at Ezra confusedly, "You know each other?"

Ezra nodded, his grip on his lightsaber tightening as he stared at the Zabrak, "His name is Maul. He's a former Sith Lord from where we come from."

"He betrayed us a while back," added Kanan, not looking real happy at seeing the former Sith.

Maul glanced over at the blinded Jedi Knight, amusement on his face, "Good to see you too, _Master_ Jedi."

The company saw Kanan tighten his grip on his lightsaber and point the blade closer to the Zabrak. It was not difficult for those who did not know of this Dark Side wielder to see that both of them must've had a complicated history.

But Kanan wasn't the only one unhappy to see Maul. Ezra could not stand looking him in the eyes right now. Not without absolute hatred, at least. This... _monster_ had changed the young apprentice's life, and not in a good way. He had almost cost him everything! He had a lot of nerve to show up here after all he had done on Malachor.

"He's from beyond the stars as well?" Legolas asked, concern written all over his face. He gestured at the Zabrak with his bow, "What is he doing here?!"

"I think the more appropriate question is _how_ is he here?" Zeb put in.

"Agreed," Ezra nodded through gritted teeth as he looked back down, "How _are_ you here, Maul?"

Maul locked eyes with the young Jedi and tilted his head, "How did I get to this little world, you mean?" He then shrugged, "You'll be disappointed to hear that I have no idea."

Kanan glared at him, "Yeah, why am I having a hard time believing you?"

"Oh but it's the truth," Maul replied, an innocent look on his face, "Memories of what had happened are rather...unclear to me."

Ezra frowned at him and then glanced at his friends. They returned said glance, and he could see uncertainty in their eyes. The former Sith Lord's explanation didn't _seem_ like a lie, considering that the exact same thing happened to them when they first arrived in Middle Earth. But they still weren't so sure.

Maul watched their expressions and rose a brow in interest.

"Judging by your glances, I assume you can relate," he said.

Sabine shook her head, "That doesn't necessarily mean that you're telling the truth."

"No," Hera agreed, "It doesn't. So maybe you did crash, but how long have you actually been here?"

Maul shrugged again, "Months, I assume." He then had an annoyed look on his face, "It's hard to tell considering that this particular system doesn't have the resources we are used to having."

Gimli let out an offended huff, "We have plenty of good resources, thank you very much!"

"Careful, Gimli," Aragorn whispered with caution.

The ranger knew nothing of this 'Maul', but he trusted the crew of _the Ghost_. If they said he was an enemy, then he wanted to make sure to protect the company from him. Specifically, protect the Ring Bearer from him.

Speaking of which, Frodo stayed behind some of his companions, and remained silent. Ezra could tell that he too didn't trust the Zabrak, especially since he had apparently attacked them back in Trollshaw Forest. Sam, on the other hand, all of a sudden decided to be brave and stepped forward, threatening the captive with his frying pan.

"Why were you dressed up as one of those black riders and trying to attack Mr. Frodo?" the little hobbit demanded.

Ezra sent Sam a quick glance, both shocked and impressed at his sudden boldness. However, Maul's yellow eyes went to the Halfling and gave him a piercing stare. Instantly, that bravery within Sam slowly faded and he nervously backed away and stood beside Frodo. Maul just smiled sinisterly at the little hobbit, looking rather amused by the little threat he had given.

"Those undead mindless servants?" he asked with a small chuckle, "It was not my intention to _look_ like them, but I can understand the confusion. They considered me as much as a threat as your little band of travelers."

Kanan rose both brows and nodded, "For once me and them can agree on something."

"You didn't fully answer Sam's question," Ezra suddenly butted in, "Why did you attack Frodo back in Trollshaw?"

Maul frowned, "If you remember correctly, I did nothing to your friend." He then gestured at Zeb, "Your _bodyguard_ made sure of that."

Zeb growled and pressed his bo-rifle against the Zabrak's head, "Watch it!"

"You still attacked _us_ ," Hera countered, "And that could not have been an accident."

"Oh, it was nothing personal, Captain, I assure you," Maul replied, "I have my reasons. Specifically to avoid this _nice_ little confrontation."

Kanan gave him a sarcastic smile, "Sorry to disappoint."

Aragorn looked at the Zabrak thoughtfully and then spoke up, "One thing I'd like to know is how you found us."

That was something everybody within the company wanted to know. Sure, Maul could use the Force, but even he couldn't rely on that to find them. Not after everything that they had travelled to. Ezra saw Maul about to answer, but Rex beat him to it, holding out the little homing beacon they had taken off of Frodo.

"I may have a little theory," the clone replied, slightly waving the little device, "We were wrong. _Maul_ had gone near Frodo during the whole excitement in that forest a couple months back." He then held beacon in front of the Zabrak's face, "No doubt he had plenty of time to plant this on his clothing so he could keep track of us wherever we went."

Ezra thought about what Rex said, and it actually made sense. That must've been Maul that he had spotted for a brief moment back on Caradhras when they took shelter in the escape pod. He had been following the Fellowship this whole time since they left Rivendell!

Maul eyed Rex curiously, as if trying to remember something. The clone met his gaze evenly, but Ezra could see him slightly on alert. No doubt Rex had dealt with the Zabrak alongside Ahsoka during the Clone Wars. Ezra remembered back on Malachor that Ahsoka had instantly recognized Maul while fighting off some Imperial Inquisitors.

Maul's eyes slightly widened, as if realizing something, "You." His gaze did not leave Rex. "I remember you. The clone captain from the attack on Mandalore." He then smiled mockingly at him and tilted his head, "Tell me, how is Lady Tano?"

Ezra saw hatred fill Rex's eyes, and he was about to move towards the Zabrak, but Kanan held him back with one arm.

"Easy, Rex," the Jedi Knight whispered to the clone, "Easy."

Rex jabbed a finger at Maul and furiously growled, "Don't you _dare_ speak her name!"

Maul didn't look threatened in the slightest, "My apologies."

"Enough, Maul!" Ezra snapped at him.

Honestly those words had gotten to him too. It brought back only more painful memories of what had happened on Malachor. They had been so desperate to find knowledge of how to destroy the Sith that it had accidentally summoned the Emperor's deadliest servant. Ezra couldn't get the image out of his head. He could still clearly remember seeing Ahsoka fight Darth Vader as the doors to the Sith Temple sealed shut.

And he blamed himself for it. If only he hadn't been so stupid enough to trust Maul. Much would've been different. Kanan would've still had his sight and Ahsoka wouldn't have fallen. But it didn't happen that way. It had happened in the way Ezra didn't want. And he could never forgive himself for it. And that traitorous Zabrak was partially to blame.

Ezra had no idea what Maul's game was. He felt more like he had been _used_ just to activate the weapon within the Sith Temple. What did he want from him now? He couldn't have just appeared in Middle Earth by coincidence. And the young apprentice still couldn't depict whether or not he was telling the truth about losing his memory as well. It made no difference, though. Maul had to have come here for a reason, and he was going to find out what said reason was.

"Wait," Sabine suddenly said, looking at the Zabrak suspiciously, "If it was _you_ who placed that beacon on Frodo, how many others besides you could've picked up its signal?!"

Maul leaned back against the tree and chuckled, "You're afraid that the tracking device could've alerted the Empire to your position." He shook his head reassuringly, "It did not. I made sure that only _I_ was able to track you. We share a common hatred for your enemies."

"What, does that make us all friends now?" Zeb asked sarcastically.

Maul glanced at the Lasat, "On the contrary, that might not be a bad idea."

That resulted in a series of uncomfortable glances from _all_ of the Fellowship. Even the locals of Middle Earth did not like the sound of that.

"What do you mean by that?" Boromir demanded, not caring if the Zabrak looked at him with those creepy eyes.

Maul's eyes made contact with every member of the company. "It is rather curious that so many... _unique_ individuals would be travelling around in enemy territory." He gave a quick glance at Ezra, "Of course, I'm not surprised that you would, apprentice. As well as your friends." He then eyed the locals and smirked, " _These_ people, on the other hand, I am very curious about. So few in numbers. Surely you do not expect to take down your enemies in such a manner."

"We know what we're doing!" Aragorn snapped, glaring at him, "And this Quest is none of your business!"

Ezra's jaw tightened. Somehow he got a feeling that the Zabrak was going to make it his business. But he decided to ask the question before anyone else did.

"What do you want, Maul?" he asked.

Maul inclined his head, "Right to the point, then." He then nodded, "Very well. It is quite obvious that wherever you're going is a dangerous place. No doubt your enemies are very curious about it as well. And judging by your attire, I take it they are no fools." He slightly straightened from where he was sitting. "Therefore, I propose we join forces. Take me with you, and I can guarantee you safe passage to your destination."

Immediately, Ezra and Kanan pulled back and let out half of a laugh at the same time. He _couldn't_ be serious! Did he seriously expect that they would align themselves with him again after the last time didn't end so well?! Gimli wasn't real keen on the proposition either.

"You expect us to bring you along right after you attack us?!" the dwarf growled in disbelief.

"Of course he does," Kanan nodded, then shaking his head right after, "That's because he's _crazy_!"

"You will have a better chance of surviving your journey with my help," Maul insisted, his face expressionless.

Legolas shook his head uncertainly, "I don't like this."

"Neither do I," Rex agreed, eyeing Maul suspiciously, "Aligning with a _Sith_ isn't what I call a reasonable proposition."

Maul rolled his eyes, "Captain, is your memory becoming clouded? I am no Sith! Not anymore."

Yet he still seemed to follow their ways. To Ezra, the Zabrak was still a Sith. Kanan had explained to him once about the rule of two, and how there could be no more nor less. But the young apprentice wouldn't be surprised if some did not follow that rule and declared themselves Sith anyways. From what he had seen of Maul, he seemed to be one of those individuals.

"That may be so," Rex admitted, "but you still have a strong commitment to the Dark Side. Nobody in their right mind should ever trust you."

"And just to make it clear, we _don't_ trust you," Hera added. She then folded her arms over her chest, "I may be no Jedi, but I also believe that you're not coming just to offer us protection." She moved her face closer to his. "I suspect that there's something else you want."

Maul met the Twi'lek's gaze evenly, his expression turning into a slight sneer. Hera did not back down. The Zabrak did not scare her, even if he was all that powerful.

"Believe what you want," Maul answered coldly, "I care not. My offer to you still stands." He turned his head away. "It is your choice whether or not to take it."

Ezra grimaced. He had a hunch he was going to try something like this. And unfortunately Maul's face was unreadable. If he had some other objective, he was doing a great job hiding it. None of the others could read him either, which didn't make this situation any easier. Ezra was hoping that they'd refuse his offer, but if they did, what then? They couldn't just _leave_ Maul. The former Sith had a way of getting what he wanted, by any means necessary.

Ezra and Kanan shared a glance, and he could tell his master was thinking the same thing. Neither Jedi liked the idea, but it was probably wise to keep the Zabrak as close to them as possible. Otherwise everything they were trying to accomplish could fall apart.

"Fine," Kanan finally answered.

As soon as he said that, Sabine looked at him in alarm, "What?!"

"Kanan...", Hera began to say, but the Jedi Knight held up his hand for her to stop.

"You can come with us," Kanan said to Maul. Before anyone else within the company could protest, he then said, "But on _my_ terms."

He then held out his hand and just stood there, waiting. The Fellowship looked at him confusedly, wondering what he was doing. But Kanan gave no explanation. Ezra, though, had a guess of what his master was driving at.

Maul frowned at him, "I'm not sure I follow."

"Don't play dumb!" Kanan snapped aggravatingly, "You know _exactly_ what I want!" He nodded down to below the former Sith's cloak, "I know you have your lightsaber with you. Where is it?"

Maul's jaw clenched, and he just stared up at the Jedi expressionless. Ezra moved his blade closer to his neck.

"Where is it, Maul?" Kanan demanded again, "If you're so willing to come with us, then you'll have no problem of handing your lightsaber over!"

Ezra waited to see how the Zabrak would respond. But Maul didn't say anything. Instead, he slowly began to rise from where he was sitting. The Fellowship tightened their grips on their weapons, expecting something to happen any second. Maul's eyes remained focused on Kanan as he stood to his full height and let his cloak drop to the ground. Merry, Pippin, and Sam gasped in horror and backed away a bit more when they saw his legs. Aragorn and Legolas's eyes went wide at the sight of them as well.

They didn't know much about technology, but they could tell that Maul's legs were definitely mechanical. How was that possible? None of them had a clue. Ezra winced and abruptly rubbed the side of his face. No wonder it had hurt so much when the 'rider' had kicked him earlier.

The company noticed the long hilt of a lightsaber attached to the Zabrak's belt. To Ezra, it strangely resembled that of an Inquisitor's lightsaber. Slowly, Maul grabbed his lightsaber and handed it over to Kanan. But Ezra could see a fire burning in the Zabrak's eyes and prayed he didn't try anything. His master had already been hurt enough.

Kanan took his weapon and attached it to his own belt. He then turned his head towards Rex and Zeb.

"Get something to hold him," he ordered.

Rex nodded, "Yes sir."

The clone then walked into the forest, followed by Zeb, Legolas, and Gimli.

"This is unnecessary," Maul simply said.

"Not to me," Kanan answered with a shrug, "You want to tag along? Fine. But you'll be put under constant watch."

Aragorn frowned as he looked at the Jedi Knight and the Zabrak. Deep down, the ranger still felt a bit unsure about bringing this...enemy along. Ezra was too, but he agreed with his master that it was their only option.

Maul said nothing else after Kanan spoke. Eventually, Rex, Zeb, Legolas, and Gimli returned from the forest, holding a good amount of strong vines in their hands. Ezra rose a brow. Would these be enough to hold Maul? He would've thought that they'd need something stronger to bind a Sith. But Ezra then rethought his question. Where exactly in Middle Earth would they find something stronger than ropes and vines to tie somebody up? The likelihood of this planet having electric handcuffs was very slim.

Hera and Sabine examined the vines closely, making sure they were indeed strong enough. When they finally finished with Gimli, both women nodded to Kanan. The Jedi Knight then grabbed Maul's shoulder and forced him to turn around, his back facing the others. That's when Ezra got the signal from his master to come up beside him and watch the Zabrak.

Rex and the others then got to work. The clone pulled Maul's arms behind his back and then they carefully wrapped the vines around his wrists. The Zabrak just stared ahead, not looking at any member of the Fellowship. He slightly moved his wrist, resulting in Kanan putting his lightsaber right beside his neck.

"Watch his hands," the Jedi warned the others.

Rex made sure that he did. He had dealt with enough Force wielders during the Clone Wars, and was aware of all their tricks. Of course, this Zabrak _had_ been a Sith Lord, which could make a huge difference. Rex just hoped that his past experiences would serve him well this time.

Finally, the vines were tied and Zeb made sure they were really tight. Ezra couldn't tell if it cut Maul's circulation or not, but he honestly didn't care. Plus, the Zabrak looked like he was used to pain, considering that he had apparently been cut in half.

Once that was done, Aragorn advised the company that they should try and get some rest, which all four hobbits definitely agreed to. However, the crew of _the Ghost_ knew they couldn't leave Maul unguarded, so Kanan, Rex, and Zeb volunteered to stay up the whole night and watch him. Ezra was planning on joining them, but Kanan then glanced at him.

"Ezra, why don't you get some rest, okay?" he advised.

The young apprentice immediately shook his head, "Kanan...no." He lowered his head in regret. "No. I can't."

He couldn't let anything happen to his master. Not again. Not with _him_ here.

"Ezra," Kanan said kindly, "I'll be fine, I promise." He nodded to the other two. "Zeb and Rex will be here too."

Both of them nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, kid," Zeb said reassuringly, "He's not going anywhere."

Maul smiled icily, "Such confidence."

Rex pushed his blaster hard into the Zabrak's back, "Quiet!"

Ezra looked once more at his master, who in return nodded and smiled. Seeing no way to change their minds, the young apprentice walked back to the campsite, setting up his mat. It was easy for most of the Fellowship to fall asleep, but Ezra struggled.

He felt cold. And it was not the air. The Dark Side was here, only a few steps away from him, being guarded by his friends. Ezra feared that if he drifted to sleep, the Zabrak would not be here in the morning, and his friends would be dead. He couldn't lose anybody else. _Not again_.

Ezra had no idea how long it took, but eventually sleep came over him.

* * *

When morning came, Ezra's eyes immediately snapped open and he glanced over. To his surprise, _and_ relief, he found that nothing had happened. Maul was still there and his friends were very much alive. The young apprentice sat up and rubbed his eyes, trying to become fully awake.

Soon, his nose caught the smell of food being cooked and he saw the Fellowship already up and about. Aragorn, Hera, Boromir, and Sabine were loading their supplies into the boats, evidently preparing to take off after they had breakfast. Speaking of which, Ezra also saw Sam and the other hobbits around the fire, preparing the morning meal. Gimli, Chopper, and Legolas just sat down beside them and watched.

Everybody was rather quiet this morning. Ezra couldn't tell if it was because of their captive or if they just weren't willing to set off again. He sure wasn't wanting to spend another day in those boats. But there was another part of the apprentice that was nervous about Maul being here. Ezra decided to push all that to the back of his mind for now. Maybe breakfast would do him some good.

It wasn't long until it was ready, and Sam passed out the food to everybody. Well, almost everybody. Kanan and Rex declined the meal. Neither one of them were wanting to let their guard down. Zeb, on the other hand, was tired and hungry and he was more than willing to take a break and eat. Ezra just smiled and shook his head. Lasats.

He wasn't surprised to see both Zeb and Gimli finish their meals at the same time, and faster than the rest of the company. The hobbits for some reason didn't have much of an appetite, which was quite unusual coming from them. Ezra remembered those _huge_ meals Frodo had back in Bag End, and he had always been amazed at how much hobbits ate. That made the apprentice look down, deep in thought.

Bag End.

It felt like that had been so long ago now. Ezra barely remembered what a soft bed felt like. He had become used to the cold hard ground. It was hard for him to get over the fact that they had been gone for so many months. And _the Ghost_ was still all the way back in Hobbiton, sitting in that pond. No doubt the life forms there had gotten used to it by now. Ezra was curious to see how the ship would look when they finally returned.

 _If_ they returned, that is.

Ezra closed his eyes and shook his head. No. He didn't need to think like that. There was so much they had yet to do. It was pointless to lose hope now. Despite Gandalf being gone, at least everybody else was still alive and well. And Ezra hoped it'd stay that way.

When the rest of the Fellowship finished their breakfast, Aragorn immediately said that they had to go. There was only one problem. What were they going to do with _Maul_? Yes, the crew of _the Ghost_ agreed they had to take him with them, but how would that work?

Unfortunately, Ezra found out Kanan's decision quickly, and he didn't like it.

Both Kanan and Hera agreed that, with the Jedi Knight being blind, it'd be too risky to have the Zabrak with him. But they also couldn't risk having Maul being guarded without at least one Jedi watching him. And, of course, the only other Jedi in the company was Ezra. So there would have to be a little switch up with who rode with who. Rex volunteered to ride with Kanan, so that meant Ezra would ride with Zeb and take the Zabrak in their boat. An idea that did _not_ sit well for the young Jedi. But what choice did they have?

Ezra took out his lightsaber, and without activating the blade, pressed the hilt against Maul's back. If the Zabrak made one slip up, the young apprentice promised he would activate the blade. Maul was stiff as both Ezra and Zeb escorted him to their boat. They made sure to look down every few seconds to see what he was doing with his hands. Aragorn stood there for a second and watched them as they passed by. Maul shot the ranger a look and just glowered at him before once again turning his head away.

Aragorn then walked over to Kanan and Hera, accompanied by Legolas. The Jedi Knight and the Twi'lek captain watched as the two members of their crew got in the boat with the prisoner. But when they saw the Elf and ranger approaching, they turned towards them.

"I don't like this idea," Aragorn whispered quietly, "It's quite clear that he means to cause trouble."

Kanan nodded understandingly, "That's why we're putting him under constant watch."

But the ranger shook his head, worriedly, "His presence here could make things difficult for the Quest to Mordor."

Legolas nodded in agreement, "There has to be something else we can do with him."

"There isn't," Kanan replied, holding his hand up, "Believe me."

"If he's as dangerous as you say, then perhaps he shouldn't remain alive," Aragorn countered, trying to think of an alternative, "We could drop him in the river or even dispose of him right here and now."

Kanan shook his head and replied sternly, "It's not that simple, Aragorn. You don't know Maul like we do. He can't be killed _that_ easily."

The Jedi Knight had definitely learned that to be true. Not just because he had once read about Maul surviving being cut in half on Naboo, but also because he himself had pushed the Zabrak off the side of the Sith Temple on Malachor. Obviously, he had survived such a long fall because here he was now.

Legolas shrugged, "We had no problem in capturing him. I don't see any difficulty in killing him."

"And that's where you're wrong," Hera answered with a frown, "It shouldn't have been that easy to capture him." She glanced at Kanan, "I'm slightly afraid that may mean he's up to something."

The Jedi Knight nodded, "That's what I'm suspecting too. And I'm pretty sure that, if he _is_ planning something, he won't give us the chance to kill him."

"Then perhaps leave him here?" Legolas suggested.

"And let the enemy possibly find him?" Kanan countered, shaking his head. "I can assure you that, if that happened, things would become ten times more difficult than they already are. Maul has a way of getting what he wants, by _any_ means necessary. If the enemy finds him, he'll tell them our location without a second thought, and then our Quest _will_ be over."

Aragorn and Legolas didn't know how to respond to that. Deep down, they realized Kanan was right. And it was their duty to make sure the Ring Bearer was protected at all costs. However, that didn't ease their fears about bringing the Zabrak along.

"So, either way, Maul wins," Aragorn finally said, accepting defeat.

Kanan sighed regretfully, "Unfortunately, yes."

"But just because we're bringing him doesn't mean he's won," Hera promised, "My crew and I will do everything in our power to make sure he doesn't interfere in this Quest."

Aragorn rose a brow, "And what if that's not enough?"

There was no need for Kanan and Hera to glance at each other. Both were thinking the same thing. They knew how protective Aragorn was of Frodo and the Ring, and could understand how it was hard to trust any danger they met on the way. Of course, no one expected said danger to be Maul.

Kanan shrugged, "It's a risk we'll have to take."

Aragorn looked down at the ground for a moment, but then looked back up and nodded, understanding. Seeing as there was nothing more to say, the four of them joined the others at the boats.

With their supplies all loaded and everybody situated, the Fellowship once again began to float along the Anduin river. Some of them, especially Ezra and Frodo, were surprised to see no sign of the creature Gollum. Maybe he had scurried off after the fiasco with the 'tenth rider' last night. Either way, Ezra was glad the creature was nowhere to be seen. It was one less thing to worry about during this little trip. Unfortunately, he had the responsibility of keeping the hilt of his lightsaber pointed at Maul's back.

The Zabrak just sat there, as still as a statue. Of course, he was sitting in front of Ezra, so the young apprentice couldn't tell if his eyes were looking around or not. It was highly doubtful. Maul didn't seem to be the kind of person who appreciated nature, _or_ life for that matter.

Ezra didn't need the Force to see that this former Sith Lord was no stranger to pain, suffering, and death. Most likely he had caused such things back when he had been a Sith apprentice. When Ezra had met Maul on Malachor, he had at first seen him as someone who was broken and lost. But now, he wasn't so sure. Almost every second Ezra spent with Maul, he always saw a new face. It was as if the Zabrak was trying to regain what he once had.

A memory from the past filled the young Jedi's head.

" _Once, I had power. Now I have nothing. Nothing_."

Ezra wondered what exactly that power was that Maul used to have. But he had a feeling he wouldn't like the answer if the Zabrak ever told him. Whatever he used to be, it didn't make a difference. Ezra knew perfectly well that he was dangerous and had to be detained. Maul wasn't going to hurt any more of his friends. He would make sure of that.

Ezra eventually came out of his thoughts and just tried to admire what land was visible to the naked eye. Of course, he could never look for long. Zeb, who was sitting behind the young Jedi, paddled the boat alongside the rest of the company, although the Lasat had his bo-rifle sitting on his lap in case of emergency.

Kanan's boat was not that far away from theirs. Rex had volunteered to do the rowing instead of the Jedi Knight. The clone figured he'd want to stay alert in case his apprentice ran into trouble. So far, everything was working out okay. Everybody just hoped it'd remain that way.

However, Ezra did notice that there were some members of the company who didn't seem to be so calm. Boromir's rage from last night seemed to have returned and he kept on glaring up at Aragorn. The Gondorian wasn't on good terms with Sabine either. Yet, Ezra did not sense any hatred within the Mandalorian as he sensed within the man. Instead, he felt pain and sadness within Sabine. She had come to have a deep respect for Boromir. Ezra had no idea what the man's problem was, but he really hoped he'd remember that he had respect for the Mandalorian too. They had gotten along together for quite a while. It'd be a shame for that relationship to end.

Just then, Maul turned his head, his eyes scanning all of the company. That put Ezra back on alert and he watched him closely.

"There is so much distrust here," Maul mused quietly.

Ezra rose a brow, "Yeah? Well everybody doesn't really trust you. So how about you be quiet."

Maul shook his head, a thin smile on his face, "It's not directed towards me. Not right now, at least." His eyes rested on Boromir up ahead. "No, the distrust is directed among members of this little _band_."

For some reason, that sent a shiver up Ezra's back. The Zabrak seemed to almost be enjoying this. No doubt he could sense more than their distrust. The young Jedi knew the Dark Side fed off of fear, hate, and so many other things. It was probably the wrong time for those feelings to be within some of the Fellowship.

Maul looked back at Ezra, raising a curious brow, "May I ask how you wound up with these...primitives?"

"It's none of your business," the young Jedi simply replied.

The Zabrak frowned, "Why so hostile, my young apprentice? Have I done something that's angered you?"

Ezra glared at him. Was he _really_ going to play innocent with him?

"You know what you did to me!" the apprentice hissed quietly, "You harmed my friends! And tricked us!"

Maul's eyes slightly widened in realization and he nodded, "Ah, you're referring to the events that transpired on Malachor."

Ezra pressed the hilt of his lightsaber harder against the Zabrak's back and he answered sarcastically, "Good to hear _that_ hasn't escaped your mind."

Even with some of his memories missing, the young Jedi could never forget all the pain and suffering that had happened that day. It was honestly something he wished he _could_ forget. To Ezra, the galaxy would be a better place if those events never happened.

Maul sighed and shrugged, "I promise you, Ezra, that it was never my intention to harm your friends. They were just...in the way."

That remark made Ezra clench his fists, " _In the way_? In the way of what?!"

Maul's expression turned confused, "In the way of you receiving the knowledge you sought, of course."

From the back, Zeb heard the Zabrak whispering to the apprentice.

"Hey, zip it, you!" the Lasat suddenly growled at him.

Ezra turned around and held up a reassuring hand, "It's okay, Zeb. I've got this."

Zeb stared at him for a couple seconds, but then finally nodded. However, he gave the kid one of those warning looks that usually said to be careful. Ezra nodded understandingly, and when the Lasat continued paddling, he leaned close to Maul.

"What knowledge?!" he demanded angrily, "There were _no_ secrets within that temple! It was just a weapon that _you_ were intending to use!"

Maul chuckled a little, "Oh, I beg to differ, apprentice. I actually kept my word. You're just unable to see it right now."

Ezra's brow furrowed, "What do you mean?"

Maul nodded over at Kanan, "You and your friends sought answers of how to destroy the Sith. What you didn't realize was that the answer was right in front of you the moment you landed on Malachor."

Normally, Ezra would be confused with what he was trying to say. But this time, he had a slight feeling that he knew what the Zabrak was referring to.

"Don't you see, Ezra?!" Maul continued, "The key to destroying the Sith _was_ the Temple itself! Do you realize what that place was capable of? If used correctly, it could've wiped out our enemies in an instant! I know you saw that battlefield in front of the temple. If it can wipe out a whole army of both the Jedi and the Sith, imagine what it could do to the entire Empire!" He then nodded and admitted, "Yes, I had use for it, but it was also meant for you as well. So you see, I _did_ give you what you wanted. A way to destroy the Sith."

Ezra thought about what he was saying. He had to admit, the Zabrak's explanation kind of made sense. However, there was one part of that that stood out for him.

"By destroying life?!" he countered with a shake of his head, "That wasn't what I wanted."

"And why not?" Maul asked, giving him a hard stare, "I saw the look in your eyes when we first met, Ezra. Your hate for the Empire was strong. You were willing to do anything to bring it to its knees. And you could've done it. It was so simple."

Ezra nodded in agreement, "You're right. I do hate the Empire, and everything it stands for." He then leaned closer. "But what I also know is that wherever it goes, innocent lives won't be far behind. They deserve to be liberated from the Empire as much as I do, and I would _never_ do anything that'd risk their safety."

That was always what his parents thought about when they used to send messages speaking out against the Empire. They thought about the future, both for himself and the people of Lothal. Ezra promised himself that he'd always follow his parents' example.

Maul shook his head, "The words of a _Jedi_." He tilted his head, "Doesn't it make sense to risk a few lives to save millions? In the end, you _would_ liberate the galaxy from the Empire. And so many would rejoice at being free."

"And what about the few who would perish?" Ezra asked, "How would I live with myself knowing that I killed so many innocent people?"

Maul shrugged, "You would realize that it was a necessary sacrifice for the good of the galaxy."

The apprentice shook his head and moved his lightsaber right up to the Zabrak's neck, "That's where you and I are different, Maul. I will never see things the way you see them. I could never deal with the fact that I'd slaughter so many people to get what I wanted. _You_ would. Because you've lived most of your life believing in such things. And I know that the real reason you wanted to use the Sith Temple was for your own desires." He gritted his teeth in anger, "I can _never_ trust you again after all that happened that day."

Maul fell silent for a couple seconds and thought about what the young Jedi said.

"Then I will just have to redeem myself," he finally answered.

Ezra let out half a laugh, "Good luck with that. You'll never regain my trust, Maul. _Never_."

"Yet, you trust these new allies of yours?" the Zabrak countered, "I know you can feel the tension between all of them, Ezra. All because of one small ring."

Ezra froze and he looked at him suspiciously. Did he just say what he thought he had said?! Nobody in the Fellowship could've told him about that.

"How do you know about the Ring?" Ezra demanded.

Maul rose a brow, "One does not wonder around an unknown planet without _learning_ about it. What do you think I have been doing all this time?"

That was one question Ezra had been trying to answer ever since the former Sith's capture. However, after Maul's little explanation, the young apprentice all of a sudden realized that he might have an answer. It was possible that it wasn't the _full_ truth, but it was a start. Ezra's eyes looked down at the river, and he nodded in realization.

"You were spying on the enemy and learning their tactics," he muttered.

Maul nodded, "Like I told you on Malachor, Ezra, to defeat an enemy, you must know them. Even their goals."

Ezra eyed the Zabrak again and narrowed his eyes, "And what are _your_ goals, Maul? What do you hope to gain by travelling with us?"

Maul stared at the Jedi for a second and then turned around, once again looking up ahead. "Right now, my current goal is to help _you._ "

The young Jedi frowned, "I've made it very clear that I don't _want_ your help!"

"Oh?" Maul said, looking back at him with a smirk, "Not even if I can help restore your memories?"

Ezra's eyes widened. Wait, was he being serious right now?! This had to be some sort of trick! The apprentice wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. He and his friends had been trying to remember things since Day 1 of being trapped in Middle Earth! How could Maul, of all people, have found a way to get those memories back?! And, more importantly, why hadn't he already used it on himself?

Ezra put his hand to his forehead and forced himself to laugh, acting like he didn't believe him, "Y-You're saying that you've found a way to get our memories back?"

"Yes," Maul replied with a nod, looking completely serious, "It took a while to find, but I've finally figured it out. And when the time is right, we can both use it to restore what was lost. You have my word."

Ezra didn't realize it, but his grip on his lightsaber had slightly eased a bit. He was trying to process what the Zabrak was telling him. Could he _really_ be telling the truth? Had he actually found a way to help him remember the events before crashing in Middle Earth? He looked at Maul closely to see if there was anything false about his statement, but he still looked serious. Ezra did not sense any deceit within him as he said these things. Although, the young Jedi hadn't sensed anything back on Malachor either. So it was still possible that this was a trick.

"Okay," Ezra said slowly, his interest clearly showing, "then tell me what it is."

But Maul just smiled again, and turned around. Ezra couldn't see his expression, but he had a slight hunch that that smile was still there.

"All in good time, my apprentice," Maul simply answered.

That turned out to be the last thing the Zabrak said throughout the whole journey along the river. Ezra saw him close his eyes and go back to being still. He had said what he had wanted to say, and it left the apprentice asking several questions in his mind. Questions that he would never find the answers to until Maul revealed them himself. Ezra had a slight feeling that that had been his intention the whole time. To grab his attention and not reveal the answer until the right time. He just wished he knew _when_ that right time was.

However, something actually made Ezra stop thinking about those questions. He hadn't even realized it, but apparently hours had gone by. But that wasn't what distracted him. No, it was something else. Well, two things actually. Two _big_ things, right up ahead. Ezra's jaw dropped and he looked up in amazement. It had gotten Aragorn's attention too, and he tapped Frodo on the shoulder.

When the rest of the Fellowship saw, they too were amazed, especially Boromir. On both sides of the river, there stood two tall stone statues. They seemed to look like ancient kings, who stood proudly on both sides of the Anduin. Their left arms were held aloft, their palms facing outward in gesture of warning.

"The Argonath!" Aragorn murmured in admiration, "Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin."

Ezra's only response to that was whistling in awe. The crew of _the Ghost_ couldn't believe the size of those statues. How long had it taken them to build such things?! Sabine, who grew more and more appreciative of the art of this world, had a huge smile on her face. She wished she could just hop out of the boat and touch them. Had Gimli's people ever achieved something like this, she wondered? Maybe. But that was a question for another time.

As the company floated in between the huge stone feet, Ezra could also see up ahead that their journey on the boats was about to come to an end. A huge waterfall was visible, and the young apprentice knew Aragorn wouldn't be leading them down it. It'd probably be suicide.

Ezra just looked back at the Argonath one last time and smiled. Even if it had taken over a thousand years to build, those statues were an impressive sight to see. At least this day had showed _something_ amazing. There hadn't been too much to see since they had left Lorien.

The Fellowship spotted a gravel beach to their left and Aragorn figured it'd be the best place to set foot on land. Once they landed on the beach, they slowly began to disembark from the boats. Kanan and Rex carefully escorted the silent Maul off of the boat. Ezra just sat there for a few seconds, deep in thought, before joining them.

However, Frodo remained sitting in his boat, looking behind him from the corner of his eye. Boromir was sitting in the boat next to him, looking troubled. The Gondorian appeared to be fighting a conflict within him, making Frodo slightly nervous. However, after a long couple seconds, Boromir exhaled and lowered his head. It did not ease the Halfling's fears, though.

Even though the day was far from over, the second journey in the boats had felt rather long for a majority of the Fellowship. They were indeed very hungry and eager to rest for a while before beginning another journey on foot.

* * *

The crew of _the Ghost_ never expected this to happen, but it had come at last. Zeb, Ezra, and Sabine sadly watched as Sam cooked the last of the food he had brought with him. All three knew that this would be the last _real_ meal they'd have for a while. Then it'd be that Lembas bread for who knows how long. It didn't taste bad, but the Fellowship knew it'd eventually get old.

Hera was putting another power chip in Chopper while also rechecking the crews' own supplies. Gimli and Rex sat beside the fire along with the hobbits, the Lasat, Jedi, and Mandalorian. Everybody else was unloading stuff from the boats. Ezra had to admit that he'd be glad to travel on dry land again. The boats had overstayed their welcome.

Zeb tapped Sam on the shoulder, "Is there any possible way to save _more_ of this meat?"

The hobbit shook his head regretfully, "Sorry, Mr. Zeb. I'm afraid this is all that's left."

"Karabast," the Lasat sulked as he leaned back against a stone, "I'm not ready to start eating _bread_ for weeks."

Pippin shrugged, "The Lembas isn't so bad." He took a piece of the bread and nibbled at it. "It's actually pretty good."

Zeb frowned at him, "Careful of how much of that you eat. I wouldn't want you to be too full to eat the last of this food." He then thought twice about what he said and rubbed his hands greedily. "On second thought, eat as much of that bread as you like. I'll just eat your helping too."

Ezra rolled his eyes at the Lasat's comment, "Knock it off, Zeb."

Legolas had walked over to the forest by the beach and was just staring at it with a concerned look. Aragorn, meanwhile, walked up to the others and set down one of the bags from his boat. He then made sure he got the company's attention.

"We cross the lake at nightfall," the ranger told them, "Hide the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh yes?!" huffed Gimli, sitting down on a nearby log, "It's just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil? An impassible labyrinth of _razor sharp_ rocks! And after that, it gets even better!"

Rex, Pippin, and Zeb looked up at the dwarf in alarm. They weren't sure if they were ready to hear this one.

"Festering, stinking marshlands," Gimli continued, "far as the eye can see!"

Zeb immediately buried his face in his hands and groaned, as did a majority of the crew of _the Ghost_. Not another marsh!

" _That_ is our road," Aragorn replied, looking at the dwarf, "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."

"Recover my-?!" Gimli began, but then thought against it.

Knowing it would do no good to argue, the dwarf began to set his mat up, grumbling to himself. Zeb, however, immediately stood up, and jabbed a finger into the ranger's face.

"Oh no you don't!" he growled, "Not happening! I'm not going through _another_ marsh! The one on the road to Rivendell was bad enough!"

Aragorn crossed his arms and nodded his head, his expression not changing, "If you do not wish to come, Captain Orrilious, that is fine. You can go with Boromir, if you wish. But the marshlands are the road the company will be taking."

After she heard that, Sabine lifted up her own head, wide eyed, "Whoa whoa, big pause there. _Where_ is Boromir going?!"

When Aragorn looked at her, there was a sad look in his eyes. Ezra and Rex exchanged glances. This couldn't be good. And Sabine knew it too.

Aragorn sighed, "Boromir has decided that he will go no further with the Fellowship. He will be returning to Gondor by nightfall when we leave."

That news came down hard on Sabine. The Mandalorian turned away from the ranger and just stared at the ground. She set her plate down, finding that she had no appetite all of a sudden. Ezra felt sorry for her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He knew that Sabine's friendship with Boromir had really meant something to her. he couldn't understand why the Gondorian was deciding to leave _now_. It was a pretty stupid thing to do, especially since they were so close to Mordor.

Zeb sat himself back down and muttered, "Okay, marshlands it is then."

Ezra ignored him and just looked at Sabine. He could see the Mandalorian trying to fight back tears, but was doing a really poor job at it.

"Sabine," the apprentice quietly whispered, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head in disbelief, "I don't know what's wrong with him, Ezra. He's not acting like himself."

That suddenly got Ezra thinking. He realized that she was right. Boromir _wasn't_ acting like himself. He had noticed that for a while now. And there was only one thing that he could think of that could be the cause of all this.

Ezra knew Frodo hadn't taken out the Ring for a while now, but he still felt its power. And it had kept on calling out to the apprentice constantly. Could it be doing the same to Boromir? Ezra was considering that a possibility, but he didn't want to worry Sabine about it. Not when she was in this state.

"I'm sure he'll come around," he said to her reassuringly, lying through his teeth.

Sabine simply nodded, "I hope so."

Ezra looked over and saw Aragorn and Legolas talking quietly to each other. He rose a brow. What was going on over there? But then his attention was brought to Gimli, who kept on grumbling over and over, mimicking what the ranger had said to him.

"No dwarf need recover strength!" the dwarf grumbled, glancing at Pippin, "Pay no heed to that, young hobbit."

Just then, Merry, who had gone into the forest to get some more wood for the fire, had returned with a huge supply. Rex immediately stood up and helped him out. However, while the clone put the wood on the fire, Merry looked around and rose a brow.

"Where's Frodo?" he asked.

The company immediately looked over at him when he said that and then looked around the campsite. Ezra frowned worriedly. Merry was right. Where was Frodo? None of the others could see him either. Sam quickly jumped to his feet and started to panic. And he wasn't the only one. Ezra was starting to panic himself.

The Ring Bearer was nowhere to be seen! But then the young apprentice saw that there was a Gondorian shield laying against the tree. And its owner was nowhere to be seen either. Boromir was missing too. Aragorn saw that as well, and Ezra could tell that he was bothered by it.

Yet, the young Jedi found that they weren't the only ones missing either. And this one _really_ had him worried now, as well as his friends. All of the crew of _the Ghost_ were present and accounted for, except for one. And the prisoner was missing right along with him!

"Where's Kanan and Maul?!" Ezra questioned.

* * *

Deep in the forest, Kanan Jarrus had the hilt of his lightsaber pressed against Maul's back as he escorted him as far away from the others as possible. This was something he knew he had to do alone. He couldn't risk the safety of any of his friends. Plus, he knew Ezra would never have agreed to this.

But he was a Jedi Knight. He had to make the hard call, even when the others would never want it done. The fact was that they needed answers. And Kanan was sick and tired of Maul's games.

Once he was sure he was far away from the Fellowship's camp, he instantly stopped and forced the Zabrak to turn around.

"Finally stopping, are we?" Maul mused as he eyed the Jedi mockingly, "May I ask _why_ the both of us are out here alone, Master Jedi?"

Kanan didn't answer right away and instead activated his lightsaber. He held the blade only a couple inches away from the Zabrak's face. Maul didn't even flinch and just looked at him, expecting an answer. Finally, Kanan answered his question, in a _very_ threatening tone.

"You and I are gonna have a talk."


	38. Chapter 37

**Hey guys. So I changed my mind about making this a long chapter. lol. I was finishing this up today and realized that I had a huge amount of stuff in this chapter already. lol. Plus, it's been a while since I updated. I will, though, officially wrap up the Fellowship of the Ring part of the story in the next chapter. lol. Expect to see a lot of fighting in that chapter. lol. But for now, I hope you enjoy this one and I'll be back soon. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 36: The Fellowship Breaks**

"Frodo!" Aragorn called out, pushing past a couple bushes.

The Fellowship had wasted no time in leaving camp and searching for their missing comrades. Especially when two of said comrades were untrustworthy. Ezra could understand that with Maul, but it was taking time to process that with Boromir. However, both the ranger and Sabine were certain that the Gondorian wouldn't go out into the forest without good reason. And who knows where Kanan took the Zabrak prisoner.

That bugged Ezra a bit. Why didn't his master tell him he was going to do something like this? What was he up to? But then, Ezra had a scary thought. Did Kanan do this...or did Maul somehow break free and take the Jedi Knight hostage? No, that was highly doubtful. Ezra would've sensed something if it had happened that way. So this had to be Kanan's doing.

As for Frodo, Ezra had _no_ idea what he was doing. He figured the hobbit had to have left camp willingly. He had been acting so strange since Lothlorian, and the young apprentice wondered if this had anything to do with what Frodo had said to Galadriel back at the mirror. If this was it, Ezra didn't like it. The Fellowship of the Ring was created to protect the Ring Bearer, and it didn't help for said Ring Bearer to vanish.

Aragorn put his hand it his mouth again and shouted, "Boromir! Where are you?!"

Hera joined him in shouting, "Kanan!"

Unfortunately, no reply came, and it was starting to make everybody nervous. What bothered Ezra even more was that they hadn't even noticed them leave. But maybe that had been intentional. For all he knew, Frodo could've slipped on the Ring and Kanan could've used his Jedi tricks and slip away too.

Aragorn suddenly stopped, and the rest of the company followed suite. Rex stopped beside Ezra, checking his wrist comm. The clone had activated his scanner to try and locate the missing members, but judging by the frown on his face, it was doing little good.

"Rex, are you picking up _anything_?" Ezra finally asked.

Rex shook his head, the frown not leaving his face, "The forest is crawling with life. For some reason, I can't tell if any of these readings are them."

Legolas shook his head in frustration, "Little good that's doing. For all we know, they could be _anywhere_!"

Rex didn't bother to argue with the Elf about his technology. Mainly because he was scared out of his mind for the safety of his companions. Although, Ezra could see that he was doing a good job hiding it.

"What the bloody heck are they thinking?!" Zeb growled, swinging his bo-rifle over his shoulder, "It can't possibly be safe out here!"

Aragorn shook his head, agreeing with the Lasat, "It is not. Orcs patrol these lands, especially the Eastern shore. That is why I had wanted to leave at night."

Legolas glared over at the ranger, "We should've left when we had the chance!"

"I told you why we couldn't!" Aragorn snapped back, although not meaning to sound that harsh.

Ezra figured that must've been what the two had been talking about earlier. But Legolas, for some reason, looked more nervous than angry. What was going through his head? Was something coming? Ezra really hoped not, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Sabine put a hand on her hip and scanned the forest, "If something gets to them before we do, we won't be going _anywhere_ anytime soon."

"Let's not think like that," Hera replied, holding up her hand, "Let's just focus on trying to find them. It won't help for us to panic."

Aragorn nodded, "Hera's right. Worrying about them won't do any good. We just have to find them. But we can't do so by traveling all together." He then turned around and faced them. "We'll have to split up."

Ezra grimaced. On top of everything, the last thing the young Jedi thought they should do was split up. It felt like a bad idea. However, they didn't know where the others were at, and it was very likely that they weren't all together. Even though Ezra had a problem with this, he knew Aragorn was right. They'd have more success by splitting up. If somebody ran into one of them, they could just holler.

"I'll stick with you, Aragorn," the young apprentice said.

The ranger nodded, not seeming to have a problem with it. Hera, Zeb, and Rex were talking amongst themselves, but then they finally turned towards their leader.

"We'll go check the higher ground," Hera told him, pointing over at a slope that was a couple feet away.

Sabine sighed and shrugged, "I guess I'll go the opposite way, then." She then pointed at the astromech droid beside her, "And I'll take Chopper with me."

As usual, the droid grumbled in response to that, but no one paid attention to him. So Chopper just decided to go along with it, seeing as he had little choice in the matter. But before anybody did anything, the three hobbits stepped forward, looking very confused.

"What about us?" Merry asked, "Where do we go?"

Aragorn looked at them, "You three will go back to camp and stay there until we return." He then looked at Legolas and Gimli. "Go with them."

Both the Elf and the dwarf nodded, and were about to do so until Sam abruptly shook his head and stepped closer to the ranger.

"I'm gonna help you look for Mr. Frodo," he then said, his expression showing confidence.

"Sam-" Aragorn began to say, but was then interrupted by the hobbit.

"I made Gandalf a promise, Strider!" Sam said defensively, "I promised him that I wouldn't let Frodo out of my sight!" After he said that, he began to calm down and shook his head. "And I won't."

Ezra looked at the hobbit with pity. Out of everybody in the company, he could tell that there was a strong bond between Sam and Frodo. The hobbit made that promise not just to Gandalf, but to his friend too. And the young Jedi respected him for it. Aragorn realized it too, and just sighed.

"Okay," the ranger said with a nod, "You can come with me and Ezra, Sam." He gave a hard look at the other two hobbits, "But the rest of you return to camp."

Merry and Pippin had no problem with that whatsoever, because they had no desire to be in the forest anyways. After a few short nods, the company began to split up. However, before they got very far, Pippin turned around.

"Hey, Zeb!" he called out.

The Lasat stopped in his tracks and groaned. What was that little runt gonna say now?! He didn't really want to hear it, but he found himself turning around anyways. Zeb just rose a brow and waited for him to say something. But what was said next was very unexpected.

Pippin gave him a small nod, "Be careful, alright?"

That caught Zeb by surprise, as did Ezra. Honestly, Lasat had expected the hobbit to say something stupid, but this was the first time he had actually said something _decent_. Even though they had been going round and round with each other since Day 1, Ezra sensed that both Zeb and Pippin had somewhat of a friendship, even though neither of them would ever admit it to anyone.

Zeb nodded back, "You too."

With that, everybody then turned around and went their separate ways. Before the Lasat was out of sight, Ezra shot him a quick smirk. Zeb just rolled his eyes and continued following Hera and Rex. But Ezra knew that the Lasat had meant what he said to the Took, and he was honestly glad that both of them had become friends. Of course, he still expected Zeb to threaten the hobbit, but at least this was a start for them being decent to each other.

Ezra then frowned. He hoped he could say the same for Frodo. As the minutes ticked by, his fear for the hobbit's safety increased. The young Jedi just felt uneasy. The Force was trying telling him that something was about to happen. But he just couldn't figure out what.

And by the time Ezra _would_ figure it out, he feared it would be too late.

* * *

Deep down, Frodo Baggins wished he didn't have to do this, but he knew it couldn't be helped. The hobbit had been travelling with the Fellowship for so long now, and he had always felt several stares in his direction. What scared him the most was that he couldn't figure out what they were thinking. Had they just been simply looking at him...or was it something else?

Frodo had a feeling that he knew what it was. His hand slowly went to his chest and he clutched the small little jewel below his shirt. The closer they got to Mordor, the heavier the Ring seemed to get. Frodo found himself addicted to it more and more, but at the same time it felt like such a burden to carry. But that was the whole point, wasn't it? He was the Ring Bearer. He had sworn to take the Ring to Mordor and cast it into the fires of Mount Doom.

However, what the rest of the Fellowship _didn't_ know was that he had to do it alone. He had just learned that, in fact. As much as it pained him, Frodo had to make this journey by himself. For the task was appointed to him. He was thankful to the others for their help, but it was time for him to set off, without them. How would he explain this to them, though?

Part of Frodo was also afraid that the Ring was starting to take hold of them. Especially _one_ of them. Words that Galadriel had said to him began to flood his mind, and it continued to make him feel uneasy.

" _The Fellowship is breaking. It has already begun. He will try to take the Ring. You know of whom I speak. One by one, it will destroy them all_."

That was why he had to go as well. He knew, in his heart, that Galadriel spoke the truth. The Ring _would_ destroy his friends, and it'd corrupt them so much that he was afraid they'd turn into people he didn't recognize. Frodo knew he could never live with that. He'd have to make it up to them when he returned from Mordor.

The hobbit wondered deeper into the forest. Soon, he spotted an immense stone head, long aged and lost from its body, lying with its side in the ground. But suddenly, before Frodo could look at it more, he heard a noise from behind and quickly turned around. He froze when he saw Boromir walking about, gathering wood.

"None of us should wonder alone," the Gondorian remarked, "you least of all. So much depends on you."

Frodo didn't respond, and just stared at him. He could feel his heart pounding violently as he became more nervous by the minute.

Boromir looked at him and tilted his head, "Frodo?"

Still, the hobbit did not respond, and made sure to keep his distance from the Gondorian. The man, however, didn't seem to notice.

"I know why you seek solitude," Boromir then said, his expression showing that of pity, "You suffer. I see it day by day. You sure you do not suffer needlessly?" He waited for a moment to see if the Halfling would respond, but when he didn't, he continued. "There are other ways, Frodo, other paths that we might take."

"I know what you would say," Frodo finally replied, staying as far away from the Gondorian as possible, "And it would seem like wisdom but for the warning in my heart."

Boromir let out a small laugh and looked at him confusedly, "Warning? Against what?"

* * *

Sabine Wren rushed through the forest, Chopper not that far behind her. Over and over again, she called out for Frodo, Kanan, and Boromir, but no response ever came. Where could they be?! They couldn't have wondered far. The Mandalorian was especially worried for Frodo. That hobbit had been so silent for the longest time, and she had seen the way Boromir had looked at him throughout most of the journey.

The Gondorian was just not acting like himself, and Sabine was afraid of what he might do. She knew, much to her sadness, that Boromir was planning to depart for Gondor, but she had this strange feeling in her gut that was telling her that he was up to something. He had talked about the Ring a lot, and she hoped beyond hope that it hadn't taken over him.

Yet, Sabine found herself disappointed with a lot of things these days.

Suddenly, Chopper, who had activated his own scanner, began to grumble urgently. Sabine knelt down beside the droid and listened to what he was saying. When he was finished, her eyes widened.

"You found two?" she exclaimed, "Where?!"

Chopper opened up the side of his domed head and pointed West with his small hand. Sabine put on her helmet and zoomed in on the area the droid was pointing at. She suddenly spotted something, and relief immediately came over her. Chopper had been right. The Mandalorian could make out Frodo and Boromir talking to each other. However, she then frowned. Was something going on with her helmet, or did the hobbit look afraid?

But Sabine knew better than to doubt her own technology, and fear came over her again. Something was wrong. _Terribly_ wrong. And she knew she needed to get down there. Without another word, she began running that direction.

"Come on, Chopper!" she called back to the astromech.

Chopper let out a mechanical groan, but then made a noise that sounded like he said "Fine." He then rolled after the Mandalorian, going as fast as he could.

* * *

Boromir tried to move closer to Frodo, but he just moved back. The hobbit had a hunch that the Gondorian knew exactly what he was talking about. However, it was quite obvious that the man did not care. Frodo could see the desperation in his eyes, and that only increased his fears.

He knew Boromir wanted the Ring brought to Gondor, and that Aragorn wouldn't allow that. But part of Frodo wondered how far this man would go to get what he wanted. It didn't look like he was going to be leaving him alone anytime soon.

"We're all afraid, Frodo," Boromir continued, a slight hint of eagerness in his voice, "But to let that fear drive us to destroy what hope we have..." He shook his head hopelessly, "don't you see, that is madness?"

"There is no other way!" Frodo said boldly, trying to get it through the Gondorian's head.

However, it did little good. The hobbit saw Boromir's expression change to that of frustration. He jerked his head down to the ground and breathed heavily. He knew the Halfling wasn't going to go along with his plan, no matter how hard he tried to convince him. Yet, he didn't give up.

"I ask only for the strength to defend my _people_!" he snapped, throwing down the pile of wood.

Frodo didn't know what to do. He could tell the Ring was taking over Boromir. There was no proof of that, but it was perfectly clear that that was so. Why else would the Gondorian be obsessed about this?

Boromir held out a hand desperately, "If you would but lend me the Ring-"

"No," Frodo answered, stepping back.

"Why do you recoil?" the Gondorian asked, a sour look now on his face, "I am no thief."

Frodo shook his head, "You are not yourself!"

Little good that did. Boromir's expression just became angrier and angrier. Every second the hobbit was here with him, the Gondorian became less friendly. But what could he do? Frodo was afraid of what could happen if he made the slightest move.

"What chance do you think you have?" Boromir finally demanded bitterly, "They will find you. They will _take_ the Ring, and you will beg for death before the end!"

Frodo couldn't deal with this any longer. He was afraid and ready to get out of the forest. Without replying to Boromir, the hobbit turned around and began to walk away. Unfortunately, that turned out to be a bad move on Frodo's part, because the Gondorian suddenly began to march after him.

"You fool!" the man snarled.

Frodo began to run, but the Gondorian was right behind him. He didn't get very far because the man then grabbed him by the leg and forced him down onto the ground. Boromir then got on top of him and tried to grab the Ring. Frodo now saw complete hatred in his eyes.

"It is not yours, save by unhappy chance," Boromir spat, "It could have been mine! _It should be mine_!" His attempt to grab it became more harsh, and he began strangling the hobbit like a madman, " _Give it to me_!"

Frodo grabbed the Ring and held it tight in the palm of his hand. He tried to fight back, but Boromir was far stronger than him. However, the hobbit realized that there was a small part of him that didn't want the man to have the Ring, but for selfish reasons. He felt like it belonged to him and him alone.

Boromir tried to grab the hand which held the Ring, but Frodo kept it beneath his back and out of the man's reach. The look in the Gondorian's eyes turned more into that of insanity. He wasn't going to stop until he had it. As of right now, Frodo could only guess that Boromir didn't care if he killed him or not to get the Ring. If this kept up, the hobbit _would_ be dead.

" _Give it to me_!" Boromir yelled.

Frodo shook his head, struggling to hold onto the Ring, "No!"

"Frodo!" a sudden voice shouted in horror.

The hobbit turned his head to find the source of the voice. When he did, he saw Sabine and Chopper running down towards them. The Mandalorian had apparently already guessed what was happening, because she immediately launched herself at Boromir. Before the Gondorian knew what hit him, he found himself rolling down a hill, Sabine holding onto him.

When they finally stopped, the Mandalorian wrapped her arms around Boromir's neck and held him in a headlock. Frodo and Chopper just watched in shock as both warriors struggled. Boromir was making every effort to break free, but Sabine tried her best to hold onto him. She had to snap him out of it somehow. Suddenly, Boromir elbowed her in the stomach, slightly knocking the wind out of her. When that happened, Sabine knew that'd cause her to lose her grip. Which it did.

Boromir grabbed the Mandalorian by the arm, spun around, and threw her onto the ground. He then turned his attention back to Frodo. Fortunately, Sabine recovered from the blow quickly. Before the Gondorian got near the hobbit, she grabbed him by his own arm and flipped him hard onto his back. Boromir grunted in pain, but blocked the Mandalorian's incoming fist. Sabine struggled to keep him pinned down. She made an attempt to punch him with her other fist, but he blocked that too.

"Boromir, what the heck are you doing?!" Sabine asked him, trying to talk some sense into him, "I don't want to hurt you! Snap out of it, will you!"

But Boromir's only response was kicking her leg, knocking the Mandalorian off her feet. However, as he got up, he didn't quite get Sabine to let go of one of his arms. Before he got the chance to, Sabine jumped back to her feet and used as much strength as possible to twist his arm. Boromir yelled out in agony, and was then kicked in the stomach by the Mandalorian. Sabine then got behind him and forced him against a nearby tree.

"Frodo, get out of here!" she called back behind her, hoping the hobbit would listen.

That only made Boromir more furious. Without warning, he hit the back of his head hard against hers. Sabine stumbled back, both dazed and now suffering from an extreme headache. The Gondorian then swung his fists at her, which she blocked. Sabine then did likewise, and got him square in the jaw. What she failed to see, though, was Boromir swinging one leg up. It kicked her right in the face, both making her helmet fall off and sending her falling backwards. She rolled a little further down the hill and ended up sprawled out on the ground.

When he was certain she wasn't getting up, Boromir once again turned around, but then found himself both shocked and angry. Frodo was nowhere to be seen! The only thing he _did_ see was Chopper. The astromech attempted to charge at him and shock him, but Boromir quickly stepped out of the way and kicked the droid down the hill. He ended up right beside Sabine, who was just now sitting up, clutching the side of her face.

When the pain began to die down, she looked up to where the Gondorian was. She saw Boromir looking around furiously for Frodo. That made Sabine slightly sigh with relief. At least the hobbit had got away. She just hoped he didn't wander too far though. She suspected that he had slipped the Ring on and fled.

Sabine could see Boromir slightly stumble as he was scouring the hill. His back was to her, which could give her the opportunity to sneak up on him. Slowly, Sabine rose to her feet, placing her helmet back on. She then noticed a large stick nearby and picked it up before quietly sneaking up to the Gondorian.

"I see your mind," Boromir growled as he looked around desperately, obviously talking to Frodo, "You will take the Ring to Sauron! You will betray us! You'll go to your death and the death of us all! Curse you! _Curse you_! _And all Halflings_!"

The moment he turned around, Sabine swung the stick hard against his face. Boromir collapsed onto the ground face first and laid there motionless for a couple seconds. Sabine dropped the stick and then took out her blaster, setting it to stun. If he so much as tried to attack her again, she'd blast him, even though she didn't want to. Chopper rolled up beside her and made a couple of angry beeps, not seeming too happy at being kicked down a hill. Sabine didn't bother to ask if he was alright. If he was grumbling, then he was perfectly fine.

Finally, Boromir began to move again, and Sabine pointed her blaster straight at him. The Gondorian shakily sat up and looked around. Sabine rose a brow. She no longer saw the madness in his eyes that she had just seen a few minutes ago. He seemed almost like himself again, but the Mandalorian wasn't too sure. It could be just an act, and she didn't want to take any chances.

"Frodo?" Boromir finally whispered, complete regret in his voice, "Frodo?"

He looked up and saw Sabine pointing her blaster at his face.

"Sabine?" he stuttered, "Wha-" He then stopped and looked around again putting his shaking hand on his forehead, "What have I done?"

Sabine did not stand down. Yes, Boromir seemed like he had regained his senses, but she was afraid of that madness returning any second. This was definitely the work of the Ring. Boromir's eyes began to widen more as he realized his actions and what it might've caused.

"Frodo, I'm sorry!" he shouted, "Frodo!"

But before he could get up, Sabine suddenly hit him on the head with the bottom of her blaster. Boromir instantly crumpled back to the ground, unconscious. Chopper looked up at her in surprise, but she didn't explain. The Mandalorian knew that it was too risky to have the Gondorian walking about right now, even though she hated to admit it. His presence endangered the Ring Bearer's safety.

Part of Sabine wanted to take Boromir back to camp, but if she did that, she feared Frodo would run further into the forest. Then they'd _never_ find him. That meant that the only other option was to leave him here. Sabine closed her eyes for a brief second and sighed. She hated having to knock him out, but she tried to remind herself that she did that to protect him. Boromir was still her friend, even though he probably didn't see it that way right now.

Sabine knelt down beside him and whispered, "I'm sorry."

She knew he couldn't hear her, but she just felt like she needed to say that. Maybe once this whole matter was resolved, both of them could work things out. After looking at him for a few seconds, Sabine stood back up and reattached her blaster to her side. She then glanced at Chopper.

"Chop, locate Frodo," she told him.

The droid beeped something in response before scanning the forest around him. It took a couple seconds, but eventually he picked up something moving not that far away from their position. Chopper beckoned Sabine to follow him and then began to quickly roll down further into the forest. The Mandalorian followed not that far behind, hoping to get to Frodo as fast as possible.

Before something else happened.

* * *

The Force was always...confusing. It was never easy to tell who had the right to wield such a power. Some used it as protection to keep order in the galaxy; others used it as a weapon. There were two sides: The Light and the Dark. Both had different points of view. The Dark Side was always used by the Sith. They used the Force to achieve fear and power. Passion, or rather _hate_ , gave them strength. The Light Side was wielded by the Jedi.

 _Jedi_.

The so-called guardians of peace and justice in the galaxy. The Jedi Order claimed to be protecting the galaxy through the Force. In other words, they claimed to be keepers of the peace. They swore never to be warriors.

That was a lie. A lie that they fed to the former Galactic Republic. It was pathetic that so many believed in such an Order. They knew nothing of the Jedi. They never saw them for what they truly were until the Great Jedi Purge happened.

Maul had known, though. He had known the truth from the very beginning about the Jedi. He had seen through their lies, and it had made things easier for him. When he had been a Sith apprentice, it had been easy to kill Jedi. They were hypocrites. All of them. They knew nothing of the true nature of the Force. That made them unworthy of wielding it.

That's why Maul never feared the Jedi. That's why he didn't flinch at having a lightsaber close to his neck right this moment. The Dark Side never backed down. To surrender was to be weak. Fearing for one's life was the heart of a coward. The Sith too had their flaws, but Maul considered them correct on so many things. He stuck by his training, but he had learned so much without the help of the Sith. One day, he knew he would become more powerful than either side. He was definitely not a Jedi, but he wasn't a Sith either. No, Maul sought to be...much more.

And he would be. When this was over, he knew he would be.

Unless, of course, the Jedi here with him now stood in his way. Did this man before him even deserve to be called a Jedi, though? Maul sensed so much emotions in him. Emotions that every _true_ Jedi Master buried. Yet, this Kanan Jarrus did not, and neither did his apprentice. However, Maul had no use for the master. In his mind, he was just a padawan who never got the chance to complete his training. He was too old and useless to train. The apprentice on the other hand-. The Dark Side was in him. Maul sensed it. All he had to do was make it come out, and Ezra Bridger would be _his_ apprentice. He could teach him in ways neither the Jedi nor the Sith could.

But there was the problem that was his _Jedi_ master. Maul knew Kanan had brought him out here in the middle of the forest for a reason. He was very curious about this 'talk' they were supposed to have. Part of the Zabrak wondered if he'd come out of it alive. The odds weren't looking too promising, considering that the fool had his weapon close enough to decapitate him.

Maul's eyes went down to the Jedi's belt for a brief moment. He could see his own lightsaber hanging there, waiting to be activated. And oh how he wished he could kill him right here and now. But not yet. Now was not the right time. For now, he would play along. Let the Jedi think he had him trapped. It was rather amusing to watch, really. Maul was surprised Kanan had been brave enough to come out here alone, away from his _allies_. And if things worked out as the Zabrak hoped, then he wouldn't have to worry about the Jedi for much longer.

Maul stared at the Jedi and chuckled, "You want to kill me. I can sense the desire within you." He tilted his head and sneered mockingly, "That is not the Jedi way, is it?"

Kanan shrugged, looking unbothered by his comment, "From what I learned, sometimes we have to do things that we normally wouldn't do, even if we don't entirely agree with it."

"Oh yes," Maul nodded in agreement, raising a brow, "That was quite noticeable during the Clone War." He then leaned forward a bit, "Do you ever wonder if _that_ was the reason your Order was so easily wiped out?"

Kanan moved his lightsaber in front of the Zabrak's face, indicating for him to drop the subject. Maul just stared at the blue blade, slightly feeling its heat against his face. Oh he enjoyed this. He could feel the conflict within the Jedi Knight. He knew Kanan would rather be elsewhere, yet here they both were. Alone and far away from all of them.

"I'm not here to discuss the past, Maul," Kanan replied, tension in his voice.

"Then what _are_ we here to discuss?" Maul asked, now acting bored, "I'm confused."

Kanan then turned his blade horizontally where it was right in front of the Sith's neck again and didn't hesitate to ask the question.

"Why are you _really_ here?"

This Jedi was a suspicious one, Maul could definitely agree with that. He had never stopped being suspicious from the moment he had met him on Malachor. That was why the Zabrak had tried to kill him, but had instead accidentally blinded him. He couldn't afford to have a Jedi like that standing in the way of his plans. And now he was at it again. Would it ever end?

Maul rolled his eyes and sighed, "This again? I already explained to you my intentions for being here."

"Yeah," Kanan said sarcastically, "and we should all take your word for it, right? You and I both know that there's more going on here that you're not telling us!"

Maul began to pace around the Jedi, his eyes never leaving his face. Kanan, though, kept facing his direction and was on high alert for any false movements. This was starting to get interesting.

"I'm curious to know what you think these...'other intentions' are," Maul replied as he tilted his head.

Kanan's grip on his lightsaber tightened, "You know what _is_ the Jedi way? For a master to look after his padawan. And every part of me suspects that one of the reasons you're here is for Ezra."

That made Maul chuckle again and shake his head, "Always the protective one, aren't you? You suspect every plan I have involves your apprentice."

"Deny it," Kanan said bluntly, his face expressionless.

Maul fell silent for a couple seconds, simply eyeing the Jedi. He was turning into more of a problem by the minute. The Zabrak knew perfectly well that Kanan wouldn't believe anything he said, and if he didn't tread carefully, everything would fall apart. Maul wanted to scoff at him. With one simple twitch of his wrist, he could activate his lightsaber and kill the Jedi right here and now. If he had still been Sidious's apprentice, he would've done it without a second thought. But Maul had evolved. He was not someone's killing machine anymore. He was his own master.

Maybe soon he could kill this fool, but not now. Maul had to make sure everything happened exactly the way he wanted it to. There was no turning back now. He turned his head away in thought for a brief moment and then looked back at Kanan.

He nodded his head, admitting to his theory, "Yes, I do need Ezra."

"Thought so," Kanan answered, moving his blade even closer to the Zabrak's neck, "For what?"

Maul's jaw tightened, his eyes looking down at the lightsaber and then looking back up, "I told him there was a way to restore what was lost to you when you arrived on this world."

Kanan knew what he was talking about, and as expected, he didn't believe it one bit.

"There is _no_ possible way you could've discovered a way to restore our memories," he said with a shake of his head, "I know you're lying, Maul. Just tell me what your endgame is, or I'll-!"

"You'll what?" Maul interrupted with a smirk, " _Kill_ me?"

Kanan didn't remove his lightsaber as the Zabrak lowered his head and laughed amusingly. Maul could sense him trying to control his emotions. He was curious to see if the anger would accidentally slip out. That would only feed Maul's hunger for power. Like it did many years ago during his crusade against Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Jedi that started this _whole_ thing. If it hadn't been for Kenobi cutting him in half on Naboo, Maul was sure much would've been different now. The mixed emotions within Kanan Jarrus were similar to that of what he had witnessed in the Jedi General. But this Jedi was no Kenobi.

"Like I said," Kanan finally replied, "I'll do whatever's necessary to protect my friends."

Maul finished chuckling and rose his head back up, "If you were going to kill me, you would've already done so." He then gritted his teeth and leaned close to the Jedi, "You are confused, Master Jedi. Deep down, you don't truly know what right path you should take. Like you didn't know many years ago when your precious _Jedi_ perished." His expression eased and he rose his brow mockingly, "Isn't that right... _Caleb Dume_?"

Kanan's expression changed into that of complete shock and he took one step back from the Zabrak. Maul smiled. He knew he had him right where he wanted him now. And it would only get better and better from here on out.

"Yes," Maul hissed, "I know who you were. You learn some very interesting things when you look into the Jedi Archives. And I learned _all_ I needed to know about you." He stepped away from the lightsaber and put his mouth a few inches from Kanan's ear, "A _padawan_ who never completed his training. A coward. A boy who ran away and left his fellow Jedi to _rot_. A boy who was all alone, without anyone to care for him. And then grew up to care only for himself."

That got Kanan, and before the Zabrak knew what was happening, the man slammed him against a tree and pinned him there. He held his lightsaber down beside him, and had his other arm pressed against Maul's neck.

"That was who I _was_!" Kanan snapped, "Yes, I was a coward. I was afraid to get back in the fight. I tried to live a life where I could forget things. But I'm not that person anymore! I know that I have become the better person! I _know_ that I've become the Jedi my master had always wanted me to be!"

Maul gasped for breath as the Jedi's arm pressed harder against his neck. But he was not afraid. In between the gasping, he smiled mockingly. This was _exactly_ the state he wanted the Jedi in. And if he was not mistaken, he would probably soon notice-.

Kanan's grip on the Zabrak suddenly eased when his hand rested on his shoulder. He felt something. Something that shouldn't have been there. It was very small and round. Maul closed his eyes and kept his smile as the Jedi Knight removed the homing beacon from his shoulder. Kanan stepped away from the Zabrak and held out the little device in front of his face. Maul knew he couldn't see it, but he suspected that he knew what it was. Slowly, Kanan's expression turned into that of shock once again. He turned his head back to Maul and held out the homing beacon.

"What is this?!"

* * *

The further they got away from camp, the more uneasy Ezra became. They had found no sign of their missing companions. Were they alright? Did something already happen to them? No, probably not. If it had happened, Ezra was pretty sure they would've heard their screams by now. They had to be out here somewhere, and it was honestly becoming frustrating.

Sam seemed as frustrated. He was more than determined to find Frodo. He had made a promise to both himself and Gandalf to look after his friend. And with said friend missing, Ezra could only imagine how worried and angry Sam had to be. The young Jedi shared his pain. If they didn't find Frodo soon, who knows what _would_ find him. And that was something the apprentice didn't like to think about.

But they couldn't push out the possibility of that happening. With the luck they were having so far, anything could've happened. However, as they continued walking through the forest, Ezra suddenly sensed something through the Force. As if somebody had unleashed a horrid anger, and then suddenly regretted it. And it was not just that that Ezra felt. He also sensed sadness and fear.

Something terrible had happened. And it was coming far off to Ezra's left.

The young Jedi abruptly stopped and stared over in the direction of the disturbance. Aragorn immediately noticed that Ezra wasn't following him and turned around with a raised brow. Sam, meanwhile, had lowered his head, and seemed to be in a serious debate with himself.

The ranger walked up to the apprentice and placed a hand on his shoulder, "What is it, Ezra?"

Ezra pointed to his left, "I think we should go this way."

Aragorn's brow furrowed, "Why?"

"There's something going on down there," the apprentice replied, his expression turning more concerned, "I can feel it."

Aragorn didn't have to ask how he knew this. He had been travelling with the Jedi for so long now, and this 'Force' didn't seem hard to understand anymore. If Ezra sensed something happening, then he believed him. Plus, what else were they supposed to do? They were making no progress in finding _anybody_ with the path they were currently taking. Perhaps they would have better luck going this other direction.

Aragorn nodded, "Very well. Lead the way." He then called back to the Halfling behind him, "Come on, Sam."

But Sam didn't move. He still stood there, deep in thought. Ezra and Aragorn looked back at him, waiting for a reply. However, when none came, they began to wonder what was on the hobbit's mind.

"Sam?" Aragorn repeated.

Sam finally looked up at them, a frown on his face, "I think I might know where Mr. Frodo is heading."

Both the ranger and the young Jedi exchanged glances.

"Okay," Ezra said with interest, "Where?"

Sam just shook his head and answered, "I'm not sure if I'm correct about this, but I know Frodo as well as I know my Old Gaffer. I might just head to that spot now and see if I'm right." He then pointed at the path they were about to take, "You two continue down that direction."

Aragorn frowned and sighed uncertainly, "I don't like the idea of you being out here all by yourself."

Ezra didn't either. Frodo was probably by himself right this moment. They couldn't allow Sam to be all alone too. It was just too dangerous, especially after hearing the ranger say there were Orcs patrolling these lands.

"I'll be alright, Strider," Sam assured Aragorn, that confidence once again returning to his face.

Ezra crossed his arms, "You sure?"

Sam nodded, "I need to check this out, Mr. Ezra. Better safe than sorry."

It was a lot to consider, even for Ezra. Neither he nor Aragorn fully agreed with letting Sam go. However, the hobbit did have a point. They needed to check all possible places. And it would take too much time if they all went together to check Sam's spot. It made sense for him to go check it out while they continued down the current path. Aragorn knelt down in front of the hobbit and gave him a tight smile.

"Alright," he said, patting him on the shoulder, "Good luck, dear hobbit."

Sam gave both of them a small smile and then turned around, going back the way they had came. Ezra just hoped he'd be alright. They couldn't take anymore losses. Not now. Losing Gandalf in Moria had been bad enough. Ezra would give anything in the world to keep everybody else safe.

When Sam was out of sight, Aragorn turned to the young apprentice and nodded. They both then started heading down the path. Ezra no longer sensed the disturbance he had felt earlier, but he wouldn't be surprised to find at least _something_ down here. It was either one of their companions or something else. But Ezra really hoped it was the first option.

He wished things had not turned so complicated. Despite having to bring Maul along, things hadn't been so bad. Now everybody just _had_ to get up and vanish. Did nobody care about the danger they were in?! Ezra rethought that. Of course they had to, but he still didn't get why they had vanished all of a sudden. The moment they found Frodo, Ezra expected him to give a full explanation for his actions. And the same went for Kanan.

Suddenly, Ezra detected something through the Force and stopped. He sensed someone running up a hill to his right. Could that be Frodo?! There was only one way to find out. Without giving Aragorn any explanation, the young apprentice began to run up the hill. The ranger didn't ask anything and just followed. Whoever Ezra had sensed, he had just picked up speed. He knew he was being followed.

But if it _was_ Frodo, why was he running away?

Part of Ezra also wondered if it wasn't the hobbit. For all he knew, it could be Gollum, trying to stay in the shadows. But that didn't make sense either. From what Frodo had told him about the creature, he could climb up trees, so he could've been doing that right now. Yet, Ezra didn't sense this person trying to lunge for the trees. It didn't matter though. Whoever it was, he wouldn't get away for long.

Ezra and Aragorn's trail eventually came to an end when they found themselves looking at a huge stone structure before them. It sat upon the edge of a cliff and was surrounded by pines. Ezra spotted a stairway that ran up through the center. He sensed that was where the person had gone. The apprentice then glanced back at the ranger and nodded, confirming that they had reached the spot.

Aragorn did not speak a word, and carefully reached for the hilt of his sword. Ezra did likewise with his lightsaber. However, both men stopped when they suddenly saw somebody fall off the structure and hit the ground on the other side. It looked too small to be an Orc. That gave Ezra a slight hint of hope and he rushed over to that spot, quickly followed by Aragorn.

When they saw who it was, they both sighed with relief. Sprawled out on the ground was Frodo. The hobbit looked like he had had the wind knocked out of him and he slowly sat up. He apparently hadn't noticed them yet because he was brushing pines off his cloak. Ezra did notice, though, that Frodo's right hand was squeezed into a fist. He didn't need to guess what the Halfling was holding.

Aragorn stepped forward, "Frodo?"

Frodo immediately jumped to his feet in alarm and looked at both the ranger and the Jedi, wide-eyed. There was something about the expression on his face that bothered Ezra. The hobbit didn't look that happy to see them. What had happened to make him so scared?

"It has taken Boromir," Frodo finally said fearfully.

Ezra's brow furrowed, "What are you talking about? What's going on?"

Just then, the padawan sensed someone else approaching. Without warning, he activated his lightsaber and looked over to Frodo's left. That scared the hobbit for some reason and he slightly backed away. Ezra was about to tell him that there was nothing to be afraid of, but then jumped when something emerged from a set of bushes. However, he found it only to be Sabine and Chopper, both of whom looked to be in a hurry. But when the Mandalorian saw Frodo, she stopped and sighed with relief, trying to catch her breath.

"Frodo!" she exclaimed, "Thank goodness!"

Chopper beeped in agreement, although also sounding a bit grumpy. Both Ezra and Aragorn were starting to suspect that they knew something about what had happened, judging by the troubled tone in Sabine's voice.

"Sabine?" Ezra said confusedly, "What's going on here? What happened?"

Sabine removed her helmet, and the apprentice's eyes immediately went wide. The side of the Mandalorian's face was completely bruised! Ezra could tell that she was trying to ignore the pain, but she couldn't help but wince every few seconds. She must've been in one awful fight, and the young Jedi was starting to have his suspicions of _who_ she fought with.

"Boromir tried to attack Frodo," the Mandalorian grunted.

Aragorn's expression quickly changed into both concern and anger, "What?!"

"My guess is that he wanted the Ring," Sabine continued as she rubbed her cheek, "But I stopped him just in time before he could cause Frodo any harm."

Ezra quickly rushed over to her and checked her out, "Are you alright?!"

Sabine held up her hand and nodded, "I'll live."

Aragorn quickly turned his head to the hobbit, "Frodo, where is the Ring?!"

He stepped forward to touch the hobbit's shoulder, but Frodo suddenly backed away from him.

"Stay away!" he warned, his voice indicating that he was terrified.

Aragorn was taken aback by the hobbit's behavior, as were Sabine and Ezra. Frodo had never acted this scared before, except for when they had dealt with the black riders so many months ago. No doubt the hobbit was startled by Boromir's attack, but Ezra wondered if there was something else troubling him. The look in his eyes was completely full of fear.

"Whoa, Frodo!" Ezra replied, stepping forward as well and holding his hands up in a calming gesture, "Calm down! What's with you?!"

"We swore to protect you!" Aragorn added.

"Can you protect me from yourselves?!" Frodo countered.

Before anybody could say anything else, the hobbit opened up his right hand. All three of them stopped and stared when the saw the Ring resting on his palm. Ezra found himself once again in a trance just by looking at it. No doubt Aragorn and Sabine were feeling the same way. Frodo looked down at it too, although used to its power unlike the rest of them. The selfish desires slowly crept into Ezra's heart. He felt ashamed to admit it, but he wanted to take it now. Despite trying to fight back the desire, he couldn't fully get rid of it.

It was so strong right now. Ezra could feel It calling out to him. It was begging him to grab it and take it for his own. But he couldn't. He _couldn't_! It was wrong, and he knew it! But still...the desire in his heart was so strong.

Frodo looked back up at all three of them and asked, "Would _you_ destroy it?"

A moment ago, Ezra was positive that he would've answered yes. But now...he wasn't so sure. Just looking at it made the young Jedi have second thoughts about destroying it. He remembered the vision in the mirror. Of the voice that called out to him and urged him to take the Ring. Perhaps it had been right. Perhaps he _could_ use the Ring to destroy the Empire.

He could sense its power through the Force. And it was a power that nobody in the galaxy could've ever imagined! If Ezra took it from the hobbit's hands right this moment, he was certain that it could give him unlimited power. When they repaired _the Ghost_ , he could return to Lothal and free the people from the Empire's reign. His home would be free!

 _Free_!

That was almost impossible for Ezra to believe. For so long, he had not seen a free Lothal, and he yearned to see it again. With this Ring, he could do just that! And the galaxy would be grateful to him for saving their lives. The Empire would crumble once and for all, and it would be because of him! And not only that, but he could also make them pay. Pay for enslaving his people. For killing his parents! He could show them what it felt like to be powerless!

" _Ah, Jedi way is revenge._ "

Ezra stopped when he heard that voice from his past echoing through his mind. Yoda had said that to him back at the Jedi Temple on Lothal, where he had gotten his first lightsaber. He closed his eyes and lowered his head.

What was he thinking?! It was a trick! It had to be! The Ring was messing with his mind, trying to feed him a lie. Slowly, Ezra began to regain his senses and opened his eyes again. He knew that that was what the Ring wanted him to believe, and maybe it was partially right. Maybe he could free Lothal from the Empire. But at what cost? Sabine's injuries showed how the Ring had affected Boromir. What if that madness took over him too?

Did Ezra _really_ want to live like that? To bear that burden?

His eyes went back to Frodo, and all of a sudden so many things became clear. The Ring was the hobbit's burden. It was his task to bear through it and destroy it in the fires of Mount Doom. But that also meant it possibly had to be done...without them. Without the Fellowship. Ezra realized that it was not just Boromir that the Ring was affecting. It didn't matter if they tried to resist its temptations, it was still affecting them. _Every single one of them_. And if the Ring stayed near them for much longer, Ezra doubted the Quest would continue. It had to be moved away from here. But Ezra knew there was only one way to do that.

Aragorn knelt down in front of Frodo, his eyes resting on the Ring. He then reached out his hand, as if about to take it. However, the ranger appeared to change his mind and instead closed the hobbit's fist, covering the Ring. All three of them knew what Frodo was about to do, and they accepted it.

"I would have gone with you to the end," Aragorn said to him softly, "into the very fires of Mordor."

Frodo looked at the ranger sadly, "I know."

Chopper lowered his domed head and let out a low beep, knowing what was about to happen too. Ezra and Sabine came up to the hobbit and knelt down beside Aragorn.

"You have to leave, don't you?" Ezra muttered, wishing he hadn't said that.

Frodo looked at his two friends and nodded regretfully, "Yes. I realize now that this task was appointed to me and me alone. That means I must finish this Quest alone."

Ezra shook his head reassuringly, "You don't have to. Take me and Sabine with you. We can protect you."

Frodo smiled and shook his head, "I would love nothing more than to have you two by my side, Ezra. But I fear of what the Ring could do to you. I know that it's trying so hard to corrupt you, and I don't want it to be a burden for you as it is being for me." He placed a hand on the Jedi's shoulder, "I _must_ finish this task alone. To keep all of you safe."

Ezra wanted to protest, but couldn't find any words to say. Neither could Sabine and Aragorn. They realized that this had to happen. Frodo had to go to Mordor by himself and destroy the Ring. This task was his. This journey belonged to him. And the Fellowship could only hope that he succeeded.

Ezra immediately pulled Frodo into a tight hug, finally at peace with his decision. The hobbit returned said hug and they just stood there for a few seconds. Frodo then turned to Sabine, who pulled him into a hug as well. The Mandalorian tried to keep her tears from coming out. When they finally broke away, both Ezra and Sabine forced a smile and nodded to him.

"May the Force be with you, Frodo Baggins," the apprentice said at last.

Frodo nodded in return and then looked back at Aragorn. The ranger gave him a nod of his own, silently wishing him good luck.

"Look after the others," Frodo told him, "especially Sam. He will not understand."

Aragorn nodded understandingly. But before he could say anything, he looked down at Frodo's belt and frowned. Suddenly, the ranger rose to his feet in alarm and drew out his sword.

"Go Frodo!" he ordered.

Ezra and Sabine followed his gaze, and they too went pale. Frodo slightly pulled out his sword, Sting, and saw that it was glowing blue! That meant-!

"Run!" Aragorn said quickly, "Run!"

Frodo didn't need to be told twice and immediately ran down the hill and out of sight. Ezra and Sabine jumped to their feet and pulled out their weapons, following Aragorn the opposite way. All three of them slowly walked out of the structure and into a wide open area of the forest. Ezra instantly activated his lightsaber when he saw what looked to be a party of large Orcs walking up to them.

They were indeed very big and looked a bit more terrifying. However, Ezra also saw that they were not alone. Among the Orcs was a squadron of Imperial Death Troopers. And when they saw the three members of the Fellowship walking towards them, they immediately set their blasters to kill.

"Oh Karabast!" the apprentice muttered under his breath.


	39. Chapter 38

**Here's the new chapter at last, guys. :) Sorry for the long wait, it's just been a busy time again. And this chapter was surprisingly longer than I thought. lol. I hope you enjoy it, though. :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 37: A New Path**

Ezra had no idea where these guys had come from. All he knew was that they were obviously a threat, and about to attack. Within the next second, the huge Orcs charged at them, roaring and lifting their swords in the air. Nobody had time to wonder how these things found the company because they were forced to immediately jump into action.

Aragorn blocked one blow with his sword and then ran it right through the Orc's chest. Sabine held her own blade in one hand and a blaster in the other. She shot one Orc while swinging her sword at one on her right. A tactic that was so far serving the Mandalorian well. Ezra had no problem in dealing with the Orcs. His lightsaber went right through them. The only problem he faced were the Death Troopers. The moment they saw the young Jedi, they immediately opened fire on him, seeing him as the main threat to deal with first.

That, of course, annoyed Ezra, but fortunately he had a ton of cover around him. He was soon blocked by a couple of large Orcs and took the opportunity to kill them and use one of them as a shield. It wasn't that bad, but unfortunately a couple laser bolts went through the Orc and almost hit Ezra. He finally came to the conclusion that this was doing him little good and went back to blocking the shots with his lightsaber.

As Sabine finished off a couple Orcs, she also began to shoot at the Death Troopers. The soldiers were taken by surprise for a brief moment and looked around to find the source of the shot. When they finally saw the Mandalorian, a couple of them began to fire at her. Sabine ducked and then took cover behind the structure. While laying there, she was annoyed to find Chopper hiding there too, acting too scared to come out and help. Right now, she didn't care what he did. Her main concern at the moment was making sure the enemy didn't catch up with Frodo.

Yes, although none of them had any clue as to why they were here, they suspected that it was possibly for the Ring Bearer. And they couldn't allow them to get to him. However, Aragorn and Ezra were soon being overwhelmed as more and more of the large Orcs were coming. Ezra then found that he had lost sight of the Death Troopers. That would create problems because their dark armor slightly blended in with the Orcs' sickly dark skin. They could be anywhere and launch a surprise attack on them.

The amount of foes eventually became so great that Aragorn, Ezra, and Sabine were forced up the stairs of the stone structure. The moment they reached the top, all three held their position and slashed at any Orcs coming at them. Ezra suddenly sensed a laser bolt heading straight for him and quickly used his lightsaber to block it and send it back to its source. It got the trooper straight in the helmet and the young apprentice then used the Force to send the corpse flying towards its companions. He did the same for the Orcs coming up the stairs, Force pushing them down to the ground while Sabine tried to shoot as much of them as possible.

"I've never seen Orcs this big before!" Ezra finally exclaimed as he sliced one.

Aragorn shook his head and blocked another blow, "They're not Orcs! They're Uruk-hai, a mixture of both Orc and Goblin!"

"Good to know," Sabine remarked sarcastically, " _Where_ the heck did they come from?!"

The ranger nodded towards one of the creatures before killing it, "They bear the mark of the White Hand on their armor. They came from Isengard!"

Ezra cursed under his breath. So it was Saruman who had sent this party. Brilliant. And without Gandalf to help them, the young Jedi feared the White wizard would become a huge problem. Perhaps he had learned of Gandalf's death and thought this as a great opportunity to strike. Even better, he sent some of his _Imperial friends_ with the creatures! It was starting to seem to Ezra that the Empire was finally ready to make themselves known to Middle Earth. That only meant more trouble for everybody.

As they continued fighting off the enemy, and listened to Chopper beeping cowardly from below, Ezra noticed one of the Uruk-hai looking around the forest. If he had to guess, that was probably the leader of the group. This Uruk looked like a leader, and that wasn't a compliment. He seemed more bigger and scarier than the rest. Ezra wondered what he was looking for, but when the Uruk leader began to shout, he got his answer.

"Find the Halflings!" the Uruk barked to his soldiers, "Find the Halflings!"

Oh no, that was not good news in the slightest. And once all of the Uruk-hai heard the order, a great majority of them left the structure and began going down into the forest. It appeared that Saruman was after _all_ of the hobbits. Why? Ezra could only guess. One thing was for sure, they couldn't let them find the hobbits.

Ezra quickly turned to Aragorn, "I'll rush over there and try to hold them back!"

Aragorn nodded, "Go!"

Without another word, Ezra Force-leapt off the stone structure and landed in the forest in front of the advancing Uruks. With a swipe of his hand, the young apprentice sent the enemy flying back up the hill. That made Ezra slightly smirk. There were times when he absolutely _loved_ being a Jedi. But his smile soon faded when he spotted a host of Death Troopers line up on the hill, aim their blasters at him, and open fire. Ezra found himself stumbling back as he deflected the heavy blasts. These guys were better shots than the original stormtroopers! He had to give the Empire credit for that.

As Aragorn and Sabine kicked a couple Uruks down the stairs, they looked over and saw that Ezra was in trouble. While the Imperials were firing at him, more Uruks were running past him and deep into the forest. Both the ranger and the Mandalorian nodded to each other. Even though they didn't have as strong weapons as the troopers did, they were both certain they wouldn't survive a sword.

Aragorn suddenly leapt off the platform, screaming, " _Elendil_!", and landed on top of one of the Death Troopers, stabbing him in the back. The other Imperials stopped firing and looked over in surprise, but were then also landed on by Sabine. That gave Ezra enough time to run after some nearby Uruks and slice them with his lightsaber. But unfortunately, a large amount of the filthy beasts had gotten past him and were far into the forest. He just hoped that the hobbits weren't down there.

Aragorn took down one trooper, but was suddenly hit in the face by another. The ranger stumbled to the ground, clutching his jaw, and then looked up to see the Death Trooper towering over him, his blaster pointed at his stomach. But before he could shoot, Sabine managed to shoot him in the head first, saving Aragorn. The trooper crumpled to the ground dead, and the ranger jumped back to his feet just in time to decapitate an Uruk.

Ezra looked back up the hill and grimaced. They were doing great at holding their own, but the enemy's numbers were too great. He wasn't sure how much longer the three of them could hold them off. However, Ezra was thankful to find that luck was on their side. It was then that Legolas joined the fight, followed by Hera, Zeb, and Rex. The Twi'lek had taken out her shield, and found it to be very helpful as she blasted nearby enemies. When a trooper tried to shoot at it, the laser just bounced back and got him instead. Zeb was twirling both his double-bladed sword and his bo-rifle, shocking one enemy and stabbing another. Rex, on the other hand, was using just his crossbow. The clone dived to the ground and rolled in between two Uruks. Before they could attack, the clone shot two arrows straight through their stomachs. Rex then quickly jumped back to his feet, twirled around, and shot an Uruk in the neck.

Ezra frowned at his friends and glanced down at the medallion around his neck. They were lucky. They got gifts that were actually _useful_. Why was he the one stuck with the necklace?! What did it even do?! If it was a weapon, he really wished he knew how to use it. Ezra had to admit that he was kind of jealous, but quickly got back to the task at hand.

After Zeb finished stabbing an Uruk, he caught sight of two Death Troopers firing at his companions. Without warning, the Lasat lunged at them and forced their faces down hard against the ground. Just to make sure they wouldn't be a problem, he then lifted their heads up and bashed them together before dropping them.

Zeb then looked at Rex and groaned, "Death Troopers. Why did it have to be _Death Troopers_?!"

The clone shrugged and stood beside the Lasat, shooting his crossbow, "Well, I think it's safe to say that the rest of the Empire knows we're here."

Zeb rose a brow, "You think?"

Ezra had given up on trying to stop the Uruks. There was just no way he was going to keep them from getting past him, so he killed as much as he could and then rushed back up the hill to help his friends. One Uruk lunged at him, but Legolas quickly shot him with an arrow. Ezra nodded his thanks to the Elf and then rushed over and fought alongside Zeb and Rex.

"Welcome to the party," he said to them, "About time you guys got here."

"Sorry we took so long," Zeb smirked as he shocked a Death Trooper with his bo-rifle. "We were too busy looking for some missing companions!"

Rex fired his crossbow and then glanced at Ezra, "Speaking of which, did you have any luck in finding them?"

"Well," the apprentice replied as he sliced an Uruk, "we _did_ find Frodo."

Rex nodded at that, looking relieved, "Well that's good news."

Ezra's expression then slightly darkened, "But we let him go."

That made both the clone and the Lasat look back at him, wide eyed.

"What?!" they said at the same time.

Ezra held up a hand, "It's a long story! I'll tell you guys all about it after we get through this!"

Before either of his friends had time to respond, their attention was suddenly drawn to their left. More Uruk-hai were coming, and they looked even tougher than the ones that had come before. Or maybe that was just Ezra's imagination. Every single one of these things were big and creepy, so it probably didn't make a difference.

"Look out!" Legolas suddenly shouted.

Ezra was about to ask what was wrong, but took it back when he heard blaster fire coming from the top of the structure. He glanced back and saw that the Death Troopers had stationed themselves on the platform, trying to snipe out the Fellowship. Ezra, Zeb, and Rex immediately took cover behind a rock as a ray of laser bolts headed their direction.

"If we get through this!" Zeb hissed at Ezra, "The key word is _if_!"

* * *

Kanan already knew what he was holding. It was quite obvious that it was a homing beacon. The same kind Maul had put on Frodo back in Trollshaw Forest. But the real question was: Why did the Zabrak have one on _himself_? This only confirmed to the Jedi Knight that there was more going on than what he was telling him. Kanan had known from the beginning that Maul couldn't be trusted. But what was he up to now?

The Zabrak had fallen silent. And it made Kanan feel uneasy. Maybe bringing him out here in the middle of nowhere wasn't the best idea, but it was too late now. Kanan had to figure out what was going on. The Force was sending so many warnings to his mind that there was trouble on the horizon. And it had to be stopped.

The Jedi Knight pointed his lightsaber back at Maul. He would make him talk, no matter how long it'd take.

"Answer me," Kanan ordered harshly.

Maul leaned forward, ignoring the lightsaber's heat, "Are you sure you know what you're holding?"

"Enough tricks!" Kanan snapped, "I know this is one of your little homing beacons! I may be blind, but I don't forget things that easily!"

Maul just smiled and calmly moved away from the tree. Kanan had his lightsaber following the Zabrak's every move. He sensed amusement within him. That only increased his uneasiness. Kanan never thought he'd feel like this, but at this moment he felt like a fool. A fool caught in the middle of some game.

Maul finally sighed and shrugged, "My compliments to you, Master Jedi. You are indeed very perceptive."

Kanan didn't care about his compliments. He knew the Zabrak was stalling. But for what?

"Why did you have one of your own beacons on you?" he demanded slowly. He listened for a second and heard a beeping noise coming from the device. "And why is it activated?"

Maul turned his back to the Jedi Knight and replied, "Oh come now, it shouldn't be that difficult to figure out." He closed his eyes, his smirk not leaving his face. "While I was tracking your little friend, _I_ too was being tracked."

Kanan was about to ask him what he was talking about, but before he could do so, he suddenly turned his head in alarm. He felt a disturbance in the Force. Maul stood there as still as a statue. The Jedi Knight had a feeling that the Zabrak felt the disturbance too. And he...welcomed it. Kanan had felt this disturbance before. Once in Moria and again while rowing down the Anduin river.

The Jedi Knight went pale and he looked back at Maul in shock. He didn't need to wonder who could've been tracking him, because he had already figured it out.

"The Empire?!" Kanan exclaimed, "You've been letting them track you?!"

"For a while, yes," Maul answered with a nod. He then chuckled, "Don't worry, I'm not working for them, _or_ their masters. They don't even realize that I'm allowing them to track me."

If he was trying to sound reassuring, he was doing a poor job at it. That didn't explain why he was letting the Imperials track him. It just didn't add up to Kanan.

" _Why_?" he asked, feeling a knot forming in his stomach.

He wasn't the only one to become tense. He suddenly sensed Maul become tense as well. The Zabrak's back had gone stiff and an unnatural feeling crept into Kanan's heart.

"I hate the Empire," Maul said at last, "I, more than anyone, long to see its downfall." He paused and closed his eyes as if concentrating, "Yet, there are times when I find them to be...quite useful. A distraction, to be more precise. To keep my enemies from seeing the _real_ danger right in front of them."

As he had spoken, Kanan had failed to realize that he had been slowly reaching his hand out. But he found out too late as he suddenly felt the Zabrak's lightsaber leave his belt and land into his enemy's hands! Maul quickly activated the crimson red blade and cut his hands free of the vines. Kanan immediately realized the danger and launched himself at his foe, but the former Sith was quick twirled around to block the blow. Both lightsabers crackled as they made contact.

Kanan wanted to kick himself. He should've seen this coming! Maul just stared at the Jedi from behind his blade, his smirk now wider. Kanan pulled back and made several hard swings with his lightsaber to try and disarm the Zabrak, but it did little good. Maul used to be a _Sith apprentice_ , and had been trained to fight. He simply blocked the Jedi's attacks as if it was all too easy.

It was then that he started to make a couple attacks of his own. Kanan found himself being pushed back as Maul came at him with such strong rage. Every swing he made sent the Jedi Knight tumbling back. The sound of clashing lightsabers echoed throughout the forest, but it did not last long. Maul suddenly dropped and swung his robotic legs against Kanan's, knocking the Jedi off his feet. He landed on the ground hard, and it gave the Zabrak enough time to use the Force and take his lightsaber out of his hand.

Kanan knew he was defenseless, but he wasn't going to give his enemy the satisfaction of killing him. He quickly jumped back to his feet. Maul held the deactivated weapon in his hand for a brief second before tossing it over his shoulder. It landed a good couple feet away. Kanan made an attempt to bring the lightsaber back to him, but the Zabrak had other plans.

Maul Force-pushed the Jedi Knight against a tree. He then made his hand into a near fist and began to choke him. Kanan clutched at his throat, gasping for breath. He could hear the Zabrak's mechanical legs slowly walking up to him and then stop.

"They call you Master?," Maul scoffed in disgust, "You're even more disappointing than your predecessors! It's a mystery how Ezra even became your apprentice." He then held his lightsaber in front of Kanan's neck, "But that will change. I can help Ezra reach his full potential. He can become so much more by learning from a _real_ teacher. However, if I'm going to do that, I can't let you be in the way."

Kanan coughed and struggled to speak, "If you want me gone so bad, why don't you just kill me?!"

For a second, he thought Maul was tempted to do it. He was at the Zabrak's mercy, and could be killed at any minute. However, Maul unexpectedly dropped his hand and released the Jedi from his Force grip. Kanan coughed a couple times and looked back up at him, confusedly. What was he doing?

"Kill you?" Maul repeated, an innocent tone in his voice, "Oh no, master Jedi, you misunderstand. I just want you out of my way. _I_ won't kill you."

Kanan's eyes narrowed. There was something about that last thing he had said that sounded suspicious. A moment later, he found out he was right, because a smile came across the Zabrak's face.

Maul gave a slight nod towards something behind the Jedi Knight, "They might."

Kanan didn't need to ask what he meant by "they", because he suddenly sensed something rushing up behind him. He reached out with the Force and summoned his lightsaber back to him. Then, activating the weapon, he twirled around to find a party of large Orcs charging straight towards him, swinging their swords in the air. Kanan was bewildered for merely a second, but then immediately defended himself.

One of the large Orcs made a swing for his head, but never finished the blow as the Jedi swung his blade across his chest. The creature crumpled to the ground dead, and Kanan then lifted up its body with the Force and sent it flying towards some of its companions. That didn't keep them down for long, though. It was quite obvious to Kanan that these things, whatever they were, were not the same kind of Orcs he had fought in Moria.

As he continued fighting the beasts, he realized that Maul was getting away. He tried to figure out some way to stop him, but it was too late. He sensed the Zabrak leap into a nearby tree and out of sight. However, that did not go unnoticed by the Orcs.

"Oi, who was that?!" he heard one of them ask.

"He's not with us," another replied, "Get em!"

If Kanan had the chance to laugh, he would've. He was certain Maul hadn't expected to have the creatures pursuing _him_ too. Part of the Jedi hoped the Orcs would get him, but he knew better. He sensed the Zabrak jumping from tree to tree, fleeing deeper into the forest. Some of the Orcs didn't bother to attack Kanan and just ran after him. That was kind of a relief for the Jedi, but there were still plenty of the creatures to deal with.

Fortunately, it didn't make any difference of what type of Orc they were, because they were still no match for a lightsaber. Kanan knew he couldn't just stay here, though. He had to get moving and find his companions. No doubt they were dealing with the same threat. And he had to try and find that disturbance. It was close. He could feel it.

And if it got near Frodo, there was no telling what could happen.

* * *

When Merry and Pippin had been told to hide, they did so without hesitation. Especially after they saw huge Orcs running past them. They had no idea where Gimli and Legolas had gone, and they definitely didn't know where these creatures had come from. All they had heard from their two companions was the word 'hide', and that's exactly what they did.

The two hobbits had hidden themselves behind a huge log, and it proved to be useful. None of the Orcs running past them had spotted them. Nevertheless, Merry and Pippin didn't even have the courage to breath. Who would in a situation like this? They remembered the fight through Moria, and that had been nowhere near pleasant. They were more than willing to keep themselves out of this attack if it meant avoiding a similar experience.

They watched the faces of several passing Orcs, and they seemed even more terrifying than the Moria Orcs. And judging by their size, Merry and Pippin had a feeling they wouldn't last long against them with the weapons they had. It'd probably take just one of those Orcs to shove them both down and kill them.

It was times like these when the two hobbits wondered why they had left the safety of the Shire. If they had just minded their own business, neither of them would've been here. In fact, why had they opened their big mouths at the Council of Elrond?! Why didn't they just stay quiet and let Frodo and Sam go off with the rest of the Fellowship?! But then Merry and Pippin came back to the senses and felt guilty. No, they couldn't have done that to Frodo. He was their kin, and they cared about him too much to let him go off on his own.

But still, it would've been better if none of this had happened.

Just then, both Merry and Pippin heard a rustling sound from one of the trees in front of them. Their eyes narrowed and they looked at it more closely. However, to their relief, they saw that it was Frodo! The hobbit was glancing over his shoulder, trying to spot any advancing Orcs. Speaking of which, a couple more ran right between the log and the tree. Afterwards, when Merry and Pippin were certain that no more were coming yet, they took this as the opportunity to get their friend's attention.

"Frodo!" Merry whispered.

Frodo turned his head, seeing them beckoning to him.

"Hide here, quick!" Pippin urged.

However, both of them soon became confused. They were certain that Frodo had heard them, yet he didn't make a move to rush over to them. In fact, the hobbit had a sad look in his eyes.

Pippin leaned over to his cousin confusedly, "What's he doing?"

Merry frowned, studying Frodo closely. He could tell that he was up to something. There had to be some sort of reason for why he was staying where he was. Frodo then shook his head, and immediately Merry realized what he was doing.

"He's leaving," he muttered in disbelief.

Pippin's eyes widened the moment he heard that and he glanced back at Frodo. Why was he leaving? He couldn't just go to Mordor on his own! He'd get killed!

"No!" Pippin said with a shake of his head.

Before Merry knew what was happening, his cousin abruptly stood up from the log.

"Pippin!" he hissed, standing up as well.

Merry had no idea why he stood up, because it was far too late to hide again now. There were more Orcs in the distance, and they had spotted the two hobbits! Merry and Pippin simply froze, not sure what to do now. There was nowhere else to hide. However, Merry then realized that they hadn't seen Frodo yet, which gave him an idea. He knew there was no way he and Pippin could make him change his mind, so the least they could do was by him some time to get away.

He looked back at him and whispered, "Run, Frodo. Go."

Pippin exchanged glances with his cousin, immediately realizing what he had in mind. They both gave each other a nod and then turned towards the Orcs.

"Hey!" Merry shouted to them, waving his hand, "Hey you! Over here! Come over here!"

And that's exactly what the Orcs did. Without a second thought, they started running towards the Took and Brandybuck. Merry and Pippin twirled around and ran off into the woods, hoping they would follow. They didn't look back, at least not immediately. They were hoping to get as far away from Frodo as they possibly could. Hopefully he was on the run right this minute.

Both hobbits could tell that at least some of the Orcs were following them. They could hear them roaring from behind. Finally, they risked a look, and Merry slightly paled. Oh there was a lot alright. Too much, to be more precise.

"It's working," Pippin exclaimed happily, not taking the situation as bad as his cousin was.

"I know it's working!" Merry snapped, pushing him along, "Run!"

* * *

A small party of Uruk-hai were rushing through the forest, constantly looking up at the trees. They knew there was something up there. They had literally seen it hop off the ground and into the branches. For a while, they had been able to spot it, but now the whole entire forest had fallen silent, and they couldn't see it anymore. What's worse, they had no idea what it _was_. None of the Uruks had caught the slightest scent of man flesh, so it wasn't a man. It had horns and its skin had been red and black.

Some of the Uruks had thought at first that it was on their side, but the only problem was that they had spotted it wielding a glowing sword. They remembered their leaders telling them to eliminate anybody holding such a weapon, so they could only assume that this thing was on the enemy's side. But where was it?

Eventually, the Uruks stopped running and just stood in place, listening and sniffing. They could hear the faintest sound of swords clashing in the distance, but they couldn't hear anything else near them. The bloody trees were as still as they always had been, and none of the creatures could see anything on the ground.

"What happened?" one of them demanded, "Where'd it go?"

The other Uruks looked at him like he was stupid.

"Do ya think _we_ know?!" another spat at him.

"Shut up, you maggots!" snapped a third Uruk, "I'm trying to listen!"

All of them stood back to back in a large circle, scanning every inch of the forest. Some of them were starting to become nervous, thinking that it was a bad idea to take on this thing alone, whatever it was. Others tried to reassure themselves that somebody else had killed it. But they would've already seen its body if that was the case.

The Uruks were standing not too far away from a tall tree. Little did they know that high up in said tree, concealing himself with the branches, was Maul. The former Sith was as still as a statue and calmly sat on top of one of the thick branches, peering down at the Uruks. A couple of them glanced up in his direction, but must've not seen him and looked back down at the ground.

Maul couldn't help but feel amused. These creatures were big, but stupid. He could sense the fear within them as the silence continued. Maul was partially surprised to not see any Imperials accompanying them. That had to mean that they were keeping Ezra and his friends busy.

Pity. The Zabrak had hoped for a challenge. These disgusting creatures were nowhere near what he was looking for. He could hear the Uruks begin to argue with each other, and decided that it was time to have some _fun._ He raised his hand and used the Force to send one of the stones on the ground crashing against a tree. Immediately, the Uruks looked toward that area in alarm.

"What was that?!" shrieked one.

"I told ya it ain't dead!" a second one snarled.

A small smile came to Maul's lips and he reached for his lightsaber. He waited for a few seconds and watched the Uruks look around fearfully and confusedly. He was going to enjoy this.

Maul suddenly jumped off the branch, pulled his hand back, and dropped to the ground. He landed on his feet and brought said hand down at the same time, sending the Uruks flying back. They rolled onto the ground in alarm and looked up to see what had happened. When they did, they saw Maul in the center, kneeling down with his head bowed and eyes closed. It took them a few seconds to realize that it was indeed that thing they had been pursuing.

For a few seconds, nobody moved, not even the Uruks. However, Maul's eyes eventually opened and he raised the lightsaber in his hand. With one click, the crimson blade came to life, and a few seconds later, the other side activated as well. Maul lifted his head and looked at the Uruks.

"Get em!" roared one of the Uruks, realizing the danger they were in.

The others did as told and charged at the Zabrak, their huge swords raised in the air. Maul remained kneeling until the first Uruk reached him. He then rose to his feet and cut the beast in half with one single swing. There was another Uruk to his left, its sword almost about to reach his neck, but he sent the other side of the lightsaber right through its stomach. Three more to the right were approaching, attempting to attack together. Maul flipped backwards into the air, used the Force to summon a sharp branch, and sent it straight into one of the Uruks. The other two beasts watched in horror as their companion crumpled to the ground dead.

Maul stood in fighting stance and looked at them, waiting for them to make their move. At first, the two Uruks hesitated, but then built enough courage to attack. Maul charged at them as well, holding his double-bladed lightsaber out in front of him. He then unexpectedly spun and decapitated the first Uruk. He hit the second one in the face with the hilt of his lightsaber and then stabbed him.

A series of roars erupted in the forest. Maul turned around to see that more Uruks had come to join in the fight. There were a lot, but they'd be all too easy. He gripped his lightsaber with both hands and ran to meet them head-on. The first five he slashed through without any hesitation. The next two, he used the Force and pulled them towards him, making them go right through both sides of his lightsaber. He then Force-choked one Uruk, lifted him into the air, and brought him down hard on the ground. Before the creature could get back up to fight, Maul sent his blade right through its chest.

He glanced up at the rest of the party. From what he could tell, they were all close together as they ran. There were, however, a couple that were far away from the group. Good. He could get his hands dirty. He held his lightsaber behind his back, swung, and then released it. The weapon went spinning into the larger group of Uruks. While that happened, Maul ran towards the creatures farthest from the group. He jumped into the air and sent his foot into the stomach of the first one. The Uruk roared in pain, stunned by how hard and metallic the Zabrak's foot was. Before it could recover, Maul grabbed it by the head and broke its neck.

Another Uruk had its sword raised in the air and quickly brought it down. But Maul was faster and grabbed it with his hand, ignoring the pain that entered his fingers. He then Force-pushed the Uruk back, but took its sword as his own. He finished off the creature with one blow. He then proceeded to throw the sword into the chest of the last Uruk.

Maul hadn't even realized that he had been panting until he watched the beast finally fall to the ground. He then stood up and looked back to see if the rest of the group had been handled. Sure enough, his lightsaber had eliminated every single one of them. The ground was covered with corpses. He saw the hilt lying on the ground, glimmering in the sunlight. He reached his hand out and summoned the weapon back to him. Once again, the forest had fallen silent, except for the fighting in the distance.

So far, everything was going as Maul had hoped. He had managed to separate Jarrus from his friends, and there was no possible way of him getting back to them. Not with so many foes in his way. Maul could also sense a dark presence approaching with the Uruks. A presence almost similar to that of a Sith. However, the Zabrak knew it was no Sith. He had felt a similar presence back when he was trapped on Malachor. Fortunately, he sensed it was nowhere near Ezra. Kanan, on the other hand, would have to deal with it on his own. Maul smiled to himself. This day was just becoming even more rewarding.

Now all he needed to do was find Ezra, and the next part of the game would begin. He clipped his lightsaber to his belt and began to walk towards the battle in the distance. However, Maul halted after hearing a sudden crunching sound from behind him. He quickly twirled around, but before he had time to act, something hard slammed right into his face and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Gimli stood over the Zabrak, having knocked him out with the blunt of his ax. The dwarf looked down at him and frowned.

"Where do you think you're going?"

* * *

Merry and Pippin were becoming pleased with themselves. They were keeping ahead of the Orcs while at the same time drawing all of them away from Frodo. They just hoped they could keep it up, and that nothing else unexpected would happen. Both hobbits looked around the forest as they ran, trying to see where the rest of their companions were. So far, all they saw were the Orcs. Where was everybody else?! They could really use their help right now. Even though they were keeping ahead, both Halflings were starting to lose their breath. Neither Merry nor Pippin knew how much longer they could go.

If only Gimli and Legolas hadn't left them by themselves. But that couldn't be helped. Merry just hoped that the Orcs didn't start shooting arrows at them, otherwise they'd be in even more trouble. He could, however, hear the Orcs getting angry. Apparently they hadn't realized how fast hobbits could be on their feet. Honestly, Merry and Pippin hadn't realized it either, but they were sure as heck thankful for it. As long as they were distracting the enemy, they knew Frodo had a chance of escaping.

The things they did for their kin.

Merry and Pippin soon saw more Orcs coming down the forest from the left and the right. That was slightly unexpected, but nothing that they couldn't handle. One of the Orcs suddenly lunged at them, but they ducked and barely missed its hands. Okay, maybe this was starting to become more difficult after all. Merry and Pippin didn't dare yell for help, because that would just alert more of the enemy to their presence. But they were running out of breath fast, and if they stopped, they knew they were done for.

However, both hobbits found themselves stopping sooner than expected. There were hundreds of Orcs running down the hill right in front of them. Now they were coming from all directions. Merry and Pippin realized, to their horror, that they were boxed in! What were they going to do now?! There was no way of getting out of this one. Why did seem like all the Orcs were interested in _them_ all of a sudden? Had they killed their friends and were now coming to finish them off? Merry and Pippin prayed that that was not the case, but the odds weren't looking very promising.

As one Orc approached and rose its sword at the hobbits, they heard a sudden shout. Merry and Pippin looked over and saw Boromir rushing to them, his sword drawn. He sent the blade right through the creature before it could attack the hobbits. Both hobbits laughed in relief, but said relief was turned into horror once again as the rest of the Orcs advanced.

Boromir made the hobbits get behind him as he rose his sword to defend himself. There were many, but fortunately the Gondorian was holding his own and preventing them from getting near the Halflings. But the enemy was soon forcing the three companions back, and what's worse, Merry and Pippin saw more coming from behind. Boromir was alerted to it, though, and changed directions to try and fight some of them off. The hobbits had been right in thinking that these creatures were hard to kill, because it took the Gondorian a couple swings just to kill one.

They couldn't let him fight them alone, but they had to use something other than their swords to attack with. It'd be suicide for the two hobbits to charge head-on against a creature this big. They then noticed some sharp stones on the ground and proceeded to pick them up and throw them at the enemy. That actually proved to be easier for Boromir, as he was able to change directions faster to fend off the Orcs. So far so good. Merry and Pippin were starting to think that if they kept this up, they should be fine.

But then they wanted to kick themselves as another problem arose. A small group of what appeared to be men in armor was coming down the hill. They almost looked like those 'stormtroopers' that they had encountered in Moria, but these ones wore black armor instead of white, and were holding huge blasters in their hands. Merry and Pippin wondered how many types of stormtroopers there were from where the crew of _the Ghost_ had come from. If they survived this, they'd have to ask them about that. Luckily, the hobbits only counted six of the soldiers, but the only downside was that they didn't have any weapons to match theirs.

One of the stormtroopers pointed at Boromir, and immediately they all stopped and rose their blasters at the Gondorian. Merry and Pippin paled, realizing that they were going to take him out, and that they had no cover to protect themselves.

"Boromir!" Pippin shouted.

The Gondorian looked in the hobbit's direction, and then up at the stormtroopers. It took a couple seconds for him to realize what was going to happen, and he had no idea what to do. He rose his shield in front of his face, as if hoping that could deflect the laser bolts. They heard one soldier shout something, and the others immediately opened fire. However, before any of the laser bolts could hit Boromir, they all of a sudden bounced back and took out two of the stormtroopers. Merry frowned. What the heck happened?

He felt Pippin tap him on the shoulder and point behind them. Merry and Boromir followed his gaze and saw Kanan standing there, lightsaber activated and his other hand raised. The other stormtroopers looked over at the Jedi Knight in bewilderment, but it only lasted for a second before they all opened fire on him. Kanan deflected every bolt with his lightsaber and eventually sent a few bolts back to finish off the remaining soldiers. Now it was just the Orcs again. The Jedi Knight rushed over to his companions and both he and Boromir formed a protective barrier around the hobbits.

"Kanan!" the Gondorian exclaimed with a slight chuckle, "Right on time."

Kanan sliced through one of the Orcs and then glanced at Merry and Pippin, "You two alright?"

They both gave a quick nod before throwing some stones at a couple more of the Orcs.

"How'd you find us?" Merry asked as he threw another.

The Jedi Knight shrugged, "I sensed most of the Orcs were running South so I decided to follow them, hoping they would lead me to at least _somebody_."

Boromir nodded as he stabbed another Orc, "Well I'm glad you found us. We can really use the support right now."

Kanan didn't have time to comment as a group of the Orcs came rushing at him. He used the Force to push some of them back and then charged at them, slicing through as many of the beasts as he could before any more came up. Fortunately, it seemed the Jedi Knight's lightsaber was able to take the Orcs out with a single blow, which gave them an advantage.

"What are these things?" he asked at last, "They don't seem like normal Orcs."

"They're Uruk-hai," Boromir replied, blocking a creature's blow with his shield and then stabbing him straight through the chest, "Most likely guess is that they came from Isengard."

Kanan sighed in aggravation, "Of course they did."

After Pippin threw another stone, he glanced all around him. The Jedi and Gondorian's efforts had proven effective, but there was still hundreds of these Uruk-hai coming down the hill, and they never seemed to end.

"There's so many!" he fearfully muttered to himself.

Kanan agreed with the hobbit, sensing the amount of foes that were approaching. "We're gonna need reinforcements."

He made a move to reach for his comm, but then to his surprise realized that it had somehow gotten damaged during the fight. Great. That just made things more complicated. And who knew where Hera and the others were. However, before Kanan could come up with some other strategy, he sensed Boromir reach for something. Merry and Pippin saw that it was his horn, and before anybody knew what was happening, the Gondorian blew into it.

* * *

The enemies numbers were thinning, and it was about time.

Ezra and the rest of the Fellowship had pursued the Uruks and Death Troopers to another abandoned structure. Most of the creatures kept going down into the forest, while others, along with the Imperials, had stayed to fight against the company. Little good it did them. Zeb was more than happy to punch the bucketheads straight in the face, leaving the Uruks up to the others. Ezra didn't complain. The beasts were easier to kill anyways, in his opinion.

Legolas's arrows did little good in penetrating the soldiers' armor, so he didn't complain either and focused on the Uruks. Rex didn't care who he fought, as long as he had something to shoot at. Whenever he did shoot a Death Trooper, Zeb shot him a glare, wanting to take on the bucketheads himself. The clone paid him no mind and just ducked and shot at any advancing enemy that was about to kill him. The more Hera used her shield, the more she grew to love it. Nothing so far had penetrated it, and she hoped she'd get to see Galadriel again and thank her for such an amazing gift. The only thing that aggravated the Twi'lek was that Chopper had taken cover behind her, not wanting to be in the middle of the fight. Quite the courageous droid she had.

Aragorn and Sabine fought alongside Ezra, swinging their swords all around them. Every inch they turned, they came face to face with an Uruk. Both the young apprentice and the Mandalorian were starting to get tired of seeing their ugly horrifying faces. Ezra didn't care how he killed the beasts; just as long as they were dead. Aragorn and Sabine thought the same way. When he got the chance, the ranger glanced back at Legolas and frowned. Hadn't he told him and Gimli to look after Merry and Pippin? First off, why was he here? And second, where was the dwarf? Hopefully he had stayed with the hobbits. There was no way they could take on the Uruk-hai alone.

After Rex finished off two Uruks, he realized that he had run out of arrows for his crossbow. He couldn't get more, because the box containing the arrows was back at the campsite. The clone groaned in annoyance and attempted to clip the crossbow to his belt. However, as he did so, he failed to see an Uruk charge at him and punch him straight in the face. Rex fell onto his back. His helmet came off and rolled down the hill. The Uruk rose its sword and brought it down, but Rex rolled out of the way and jumped to his feet. He reached for his blaster, but then the Uruk swung its sword at him again. Unfortunately, the clone didn't get out of the way fast enough and the tip of the blade nicked him good in the left cheek. Rex yelled out in pain and clutched his cheek with one hand while shooting the Uruk with his other.

Finally, Zeb had taken care of the last of the Death Troopers, bashing their heads together for the last time. The last Uruk tried to run away from the structure and after its comrades, but instead got shot in the head by Legolas. Everybody relaxed for a brief second. Unfortunately, they knew there were more down in the forest, and Ezra knew they'd have to get to them before they got hold of all the hobbits.

Zeb smirked and looked around pleasingly at his work with the Imperials. But then he saw Rex remove his hand from his cheek, and it made the Lasat grimace. The clone had a huge bleeding gash, and right in his beard too.

"Wow," Zeb managed to say in disgust, "That doesn't look good."

Rex just made a passive wave with his hand, although he slightly winced in pain, and put his helmet back on his head, "Eh, I'll worry about it later."

Ezra looked at the clone in concern, "You sure you shouldn't get that looked at?"

"We don't have time," Aragorn replied sternly, "The Uruk-hai are heading South for a reason, and I have a feeling that they might've located the hobbits."

"I was thinking the same thing," Hera nodded, slightly worried for the Halflings safety, "We need to get moving."

Aragorn looked at Legolas, "Why didn't you stay with Merry and Pippin?!"

"I saw the Uruks approaching," the Elf answered defensively, "and I came to warn you." He held up a reassuring hand, "Don't worry, I told Gimli to stay with them. He's looking after them right now."

"What're you talking about? I'm right here!" a gruff voice answered.

The company turned and saw the dwarf climbing up the hill towards them. Ezra noticed he was dragging something and tried to look closer to see what it was. However, when he finally got to them, the crew of _the Ghost_ realized, to their surprise, that it was an unconscious Maul.

Gimli dropped the Zabrak's metal leg and gestured down at him, "Look what I found."

Aragorn seemed as surprised as the rest of the Fellowship, "What happened?!"

"I found the prisoner trying to escape," the dwarf replied.

When they heard that, Ezra and Hera exchanged shocked glances.

Zeb held up his hand confusedly, "Wait, you're saying he was _free_?!"

Gimli nodded and pointed his ax back the way he came, "Made a fine mess with some Uruks back there." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out Maul's lightsaber, tossing it over to Ezra. "Figured you might want to hold onto that."

Ezra was speechless for a couple seconds. He didn't know what to say, and really didn't care to have Maul's lightsaber right now. He was more worried about _how_ Maul was free. He had been certain that Kanan took the Zabrak with him when he had gone missing. But if Maul was free...what the heck happened to the Jedi Knight?! Where even was he?! Panic started to fill Ezra's heart, but he tried to keep calm. They already had enough problems on their hands at the moment.

"But I thought Maul was with Kanan," Zeb remarked, echoing Ezra's thoughts.

"That's what I thought too," Aragorn agreed, looking at the unconscious Zabrak confusedly, "So if he's here, then where is Kanan?"

Sabine looked at Hera worriedly, "Hera, you don't think...?"

The Twi'lek captain shook her head, "No, I don't think so. Kanan's a strong man. He can't be taken down that easily."

Rex nodded, "If he was dead, I'm sure Ezra would've sensed something by now."

Aragorn looked at the clone uncertainly, "Are you sure of that?"

Before Rex could reply, Ezra answered for him, "Yes, he's right. As his apprentice, I have a strong connection to him through the Force."

Zeb looked at the young Jedi expectantly, "Well, do you know what happened to him then?"

Everybody looked at Ezra, waiting for an answer. He knew what he had to do, so he closed his eyes and reached out with the Force to try and locate his master. For a few seconds, nothing happened, and some of the Fellowship started to become anxious. They were wasting time by just standing there. Finally, Ezra opened his eyes again, although he had a disturbed look on his face.

"I don't know where he is," he said, "All I know is that he's still alive, but in trouble."

"He might not be the only one in trouble," Legolas muttered. He then glared down at Gimli, "I thought you were watching the Halflings!"

"Me?!" Gimli huffed, confusion written all over his face, "You told me no such thing, lad! I thought _you_ were watching them!"

Aragorn and the crew of _the Ghost_ looked at the Elf and the dwarf in disbelief. Were they saying what they thought they were saying?! Both Legolas and Gimli started to argue about what they 'thought' they had said to each other.

"So, in other words," Rex interrupted them, frustration in his voice, "you left Merry and Pippin _alone_ , in the middle of the woods!"

"It wasn't my fault!" Gimli retorted, pointing at Legolas, "Blame the Elf!"

Legolas shook his head defensively, "I don't recall it being my fault either!"

"Alright, enough!" Hera snapped, holding up her hand, "Blaming each other won't solve anything!" She then looked down for a second, deep in thought. "Do you at least remember _where_ you left them?"

Gimli and Legolas glanced at each other for a moment, but before they could answer her, everybody suddenly jumped in alarm. The sound of a loud horn filled the air. Zeb and Ezra looked around to find the source of the noise, but couldn't exactly depict where it was coming from. Legolas, however, turned his head South, to where the rest of the Uruk-hai were running. After listening a little while longer, Elf realized that it was no Orc horn.

"The horn of Gondor!" he exclaimed.

When Sabine heard that, a concerned expression came upon her face. She didn't need to guess who that was, and neither did Ezra.

"Boromir!" Aragorn muttered, and then abruptly started running down into the forest, after the Uruks.

To Ezra's surprise, he found himself and Sabine running after the ranger as well. Both the Jedi and the Mandalorian realized that if the Uruks were heading towards Boromir, that could only mean the Gondorian wasn't the only one down there. There was a good chance that Merry and Pippin were down there too, along with Kanan. And there was no way that they could take down so many creatures by themselves.

Before Ezra and Sabine got very far, though, they looked back at the others. Zeb, Rex, and Gimli were busy retying Maul, while Hera and Legolas pointed their weapons at the Zabrak's head.

The Twi'lek glanced up at them and nodded, "We've got him. Go!"

They both nodded in return and ran after Aragorn. The further they ran, the more Ezra started to feel a disturbance in the Force. Kanan had to be down there, because he could feel his master's tension. He was in danger. And so were Merry, Pippin, and Boromir. Ezra didn't know what these Uruks wanted with the hobbits, but he had a hunch that they weren't after men like Kanan and Boromir. That could only mean that they'd be eliminated once the beasts got their hands on the Halflings. They couldn't allow that.

By the Force, Ezra would do whatever it took to save their lives. But he just hoped they'd make it there in time, because as they caught up with the enemy and began to fight their way through, the odds weren't looking very promising.

* * *

A couple more times, Boromir blew his horn, hoping the others would hear. But after he finished one more blow, he was forced to defend himself again, as more Uruk-hai advanced. Kanan had no doubt that somebody would've heard that, but he wasn't so sure that it'd be of any use. Even if the sound was loud enough for their friends to hear, they'd still have to battle their way through thousands of Uruks. The Jedi Knight feared they might be too late to help by the time they reached them.

Kanan knew he couldn't think like that, though, especially while in the middle of a battle. The least he could do was make sure he and the others stayed in one piece, in case somebody _did_ reach them. He suddenly sensed an Uruk swinging for his head, and ducked out of the way. The beast roared in fury and sent several blows at the Jedi Knight. He was barely giving Kanan a chance to attack. Maybe it was afraid of his lightsaber and wanted to kill him before he used it on him. But Kanan didn't need just a weapon to fight. As the Uruk made another swing at him, the Jedi Knight used the Force to stop the sword from completing the swing. All his foe had time for was to let out a surprised grunt before he swung his lightsaber and finished him.

Unfortunately, it didn't seem to matter how much Uruks the four companions killed, because they still kept coming. Saruman had definitely been busy in the caverns of Isengard if he had been able to create this many creatures. No doubt he was making more right this minute. The number of foes was becoming too much for just one Jedi to handle. Kanan was beginning to regret ever leaving the campsite with Maul. Now the Zabrak was free while he was busy fighting for his life. Kanan knew he shouldn't have interrogated him alone. He should've brought Zeb or Rex along with him. But there was nothing he could do about that now.

Kanan could sense the enemy trying to surround them. If there were too many attacking from all sides, he knew they wouldn't be able to run.

"We need to get the hobbits out of here!" he shouted to Boromir.

The Gondorian nodded and then grabbed both Merry and Pippin, pushing them away from the Uruks, "Run! Run!"

Kanan made a move to follow them, but just as he did so, several Uruks jumped him. He quickly sliced through one, but was forced to duck to avoid the swings of the rest. The Jedi Knight then swung his lightsaber behind his back, cutting two more foes in half. He then jerked his blade forward, running it through the chest of an Uruk in front of him. He continued this pattern as more foes advanced on him. But Kanan soon realized that as more came, they stood between him and the others. He wasn't going to be able to get to them anytime soon.

Boromir and the hobbits didn't get very far, unfortunately. While some Uruks distracted the Jedi, the rest saw this as an opportunity to kill the Gondorian and snatch the Halflings. But Boromir proved to be a master swordsman. He could feel sweat rolling down his face with every swing he made, and he ignored the fresh cuts on his arms. Merry and Pippin threw more rocks at the enemy to slow them down. If one of the Uruks got near them, they tried to stab it as best as they could and then let Boromir finish it off.

However, as the four companions were distracted fighting, they failed to notice the Uruk-hai leader come over the hill. It glanced over at Kanan for a mere second before looking over at Boromir and the hobbits. When he was certain the Gondorian was a good ways away from the hobbits, the Uruk gnashed his teeth and reached behind his back. He pulled out a black bow and aimed it at Boromir.

As Kanan finished off one Uruk, his eyes suddenly went wide. He sensed the Uruk leader and what he was about to do. He attempted to shout at Boromir to look out, but he never got the chance. The Uruk leader fired the arrow.

And it got Boromir right in his left shoulder!

Right then and there, everything went still. Boromir stumbled back, his breath all of a sudden becoming heavy, and fell to the ground. Merry and Pippin stopped mid-throw and looked over at him in shock. Kanan nearly stopped fighting, but immediately increased his attack. No. Not another loss. Not so soon! He wasn't going to let Boromir die! The Uruk leader let out a roar in triumph. The rest of the enemy became all the more eager to attack and made their way towards the hobbits.

But even though Boromir felt himself weakening, he noticed the enemy approaching, and did something that shocked everyone. Letting out a battle cry, the Gondorian rose to his feet and swung his sword at the enemy, killing two more. The Uruk leader descended down the hill, his eyes remaining focused on the man. He was a stubborn one, he'd give him that. The creature then growled and lifted his bow again, shooting another arrow. Boromir turned to look at him, but felt the arrow fly straight into his stomach.

That had more of an effect on him. He dropped to his knees again, gasping. Merry and Pippin still stood there, looking at their friend in shock. They didn't even realize that they let go of the rocks and let them drop to the ground.

Boromir looked up at them and just stared into their eyes. The world around him was becoming a haze. The only thing he could see were the two hobbits, and the expressions on their faces. They were horrified. They knew he was dying, and there was nothing they could do about it. Every breath within the Gondorian became heavier and heavier. He could feel blood trickle down from beneath his armor, but he didn't care. He could feel the excruciating pain of the arrows within him, but he paid it no mind. What could he do? What could anybody do? He could feel his soul slowly beginning to slip away.

However, that didn't mean that he couldn't do something that would make his last moments worth while. It was funny, because right here, at death's door, everything became so clear to Boromir. He regretted trying to take the Ring from Frodo. He realized that he had been wrong all along. The Ring couldn't save Gondor. In fact, it'd just bring his people to ruin. They'd all be trying to seize it, and take it as their own. Perhaps it was for the best that the Ring never went to his city.

He could hear more Uruks approaching, and he knew they wanted to take Merry and Pippin. He couldn't let that happen. Boromir cared for these Halflings, more than he had ever realized. They were innocent, and didn't deserve to suffer such a fate. The Gondorian swore to himself that he would fight as much as he was able to to keep them safe. And that's exactly what he did. He rose to his feet once more and sent his fist straight into the jaw of one of the Uruks. He then seized the beast by the shoulder, pulled him towards him, and ran his sword right into its stomach.

If Kanan had time to react, he would be amazed at how strong the Gondorian was. _Two_ arrows pierced him, and he was still fighting! However, the Jedi Knight realized that the Uruk leader would see this as another opportunity to shoot him. He knew that if another arrow hit Boromir, he'd definitely be done for. There were still several Uruks surrounding Kanan and trying to kill him, but he was more desperate now in helping the Gondorian than in killing them. With the amount of seconds he had, he called upon as much of the Force as possible. Then, he jerked his hands outward and sent all of his foes flying back.

It was then that Kanan's fear was proven correct. He could sense the Uruk leader raising his bow once more to finish off Boromir. As soon as he sensed the arrow being released, Kanan lifted his lightsaber and threw it with all his might. The blade met the arrow and cut it right in half before it ever got near the Gondorian. The Uruk leader looked over at the Jedi Knight in surprise, but then felt himself fly back as Kanan used the Force to send him into a tree, knocking him unconscious.

Boromir let out a sigh of relief, apparently having anticipated that another arrow would be shot at him. He nodded his thanks to Kanan, but before they turned to fight more Uruks, they looked at them in confusion. For some reason, all of the creatures had stopped advancing and were just staring at them. The Jedi and Gondorian shot each other a glance. What were they waiting for?

Suddenly, Boromir screamed in pain and dropped his sword. To the horror of both Kanan and the hobbits, they saw a red blade emerge from his stomach. Somebody had stabbed him from behind!

With a lightsaber!

" _No!_ " Kanan shouted in horror, reaching one hand out.

Boromir crumpled to the ground, laying on his back and gasping for breath. His killer stood over him, but his eyes were focused on the Jedi Knight. For a second, Kanan had thought it was Maul that had stabbed him, due to the fact that he was holding a red lightsaber. However, he realized that it wasn't the Zabrak. The disturbance Kanan had felt through the Force was now very strong, and it was coming from the figure right in front of him. It appeared to be a man, wearing an Orc-like mask on his head. Merry and Pippin looked at this new arrival, wide-eyed, and backed away from him. The figure paid them no mind and just began to walk slowly towards Kanan.

The Jedi Knight showed no sign of confusion, and rose his own lightsaber out in front of him. He already knew who this guy was. It was the masked figure that Gandalf had spoken about. There was no doubt about that. The figure stopped a few feet away from Kanan and just stared at him, holding his lightsaber at his side.

"I apologize for the sudden shock," he finally said in a disguised voice, nodding his head back at the fallen Gondorian, "But I'm on a tight schedule." He then let out a low menacing chuckle, as if amused by what he was seeing. "Plus, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to drain all the hope from that weary, _pathetic_ face of yours."

Kanan glared at him and simply replied, "That...was a mistake."

"Why?" the figure asked, and then paused for a brief moment. He then leaned forward, "Because you have no one left to die for you?"

Kanan's could've sworn his heart stopped after he heard that. He lowered his lightsaber and looked at the figure, his eyes wide with shock. He had heard that question before. Every word was the _exact_ same. The figure reached up with his other hand and pulled off the mask, dropping it to the ground beside him. Immediately, his identity became clear to Kanan, although he couldn't believe it. It all made sense now. Stormtroopers in Moria, the fleet over Mustafar, all of it!

"No. It can't be," he muttered in disbelief.

The Grand Inquisitor smiled at him mockingly and tilted his head, "What's the matter, Jedi? You look like you've seen a ghost."

* * *

There was nothing more rewarding than to see the look of both shock and confusion on the Jedi Knight's face.

The Inquisitor had been waiting for this moment to happen for a _very_ long time. Now, finally, the source of all his troubles stood before him. The one who made him look weak and pathetic to the rest of the Empire. The one that he had longed to take revenge on. The day had finally arrived, and he was thirsty for blood!

The Inquisitor had to admit that he had never expected to meet Jarrus on such a...unique planet, yet here they were. Not that it mattered. It was the Jedi that got him stranded here to begin with. But the Pau'an swore that, when all of this was over, this would be the last planet the Jedi would ever lay eyes on. He would see to it personally. A smile came to the Inquisitor's lips as he watched Kanan shake his head in disbelief. The fool was blind, that much was certain, yet he sensed the Jedi could still somehow see him through the Force. Good. He wanted him to be able to see everything that would transpire.

Finally, Kanan spoke again, "H-How?! You died on the _Sovereign_! I saw you fall!"

"Did you _really_ think it would be that easy?" the Inquisitor sneered, "Obviously you don't know the Dark Side as well as you think. It takes more than a mere fall to kill me."

The Jedi really had no idea what happened that day, did he? He just fled with his rebel friends and left him and the rest of the Imperial fleet to rot. He never saw what happened after he left. Although, Tarkin had had left Mustafar too so the Jedi hadn't been the only one. Still, if he only knew. But the Inquisitor would make sure he'd regret it. That would be the Pau'an's number one priority.

Both Kanan and the Inquisitor then began to walk in a circle, still facing each other. The Uruks growled at the Jedi, waiting for the opportunity to attack. But the Inquisitor held up his hand for them to stay put. This was _his_ fight, not theirs.

"How are you here?" Kanan demanded, now standing in front of the two Halflings, "How _long_ have you and the Empire been here?"

The Inquisitor shrugged, "Long enough. It took some time, but me and the surviving Imperials from Mustafar eventually grew accustomed to all the...unique events on this planet."

Kanan's eyes narrowed and his jaw slightly tightened, "So it's true. You _are_ aligned with Sauron and Saruman."

"Of course," replied the Pau'an with a simple smile, "We share a common vision, the Dark Lord and I."

"And what vision is that?" the Jedi asked bitterly, "To engulf Middle Earth in fear and darkness?!"

That's what all Jedi saw, apparently. The Inquisitor remembered such things when he had been a Temple guard for the Jedi Order. They always seemed to mistake vision as dark and evil.

"That's one way to see it, I suppose," he replied passively, "I see it as Law and Order, something of which the _Old_ Empire sorely lacked."

Kanan frowned confusedly, "What do you mean by 'Old Empire'? Aren't you all the same?"

The Inquisitor chuckled and shook his head, "You think you know everything, Jedi. You know _nothing_. Things have changed, especially after all that transpired on Mustafar. This is not the Empire that you and your _rebel friends_ have been fighting so hard to free yourselves from." He clenched his fist and pointed at himself. "We are a _n_ _ew_ Empire. A _better_ Empire. An Empire that will conquer this world in ways that you cannot even begin to imagine! We will succeed where the Old Empire had failed."

The Pau'an noticed the two Halflings glance at each other, probably having no idea what he was talking about. He studied them for a long moment. His now deceased Death Troopers had informed him that they had tracked all the Halfings, so he had to assume that these were it. Which one of them had the Ring though? If he didn't return it to Saruman, he knew the White wizard would be furious, and the Inquisitor was in no mood to listen to it. But he couldn't sense where the Ring was. It had to be on one of the two Halflings, so they'd have to sort it out later.

Kanan lifted his lightsaber up again and stood in a fighting stance, "If you think I'm going to let you conquer this world, then you're sadly mistaken. I will do everything in my power to prevent you from winning."

"Says the blind man," the Inquisitor replied amusingly.

That was rudely unnecessary, but he just couldn't resist. This Jedi had changed since their last encounter. Too bad the padawan wasn't with him. The Pau'an would long for the chance to take him down too. But, for now, he was good with handling the master.

The Inquisitor tilted his head curiously, "How _did_ you end up like that?"

"Long story," Kanan replied, expressionless, "And I definitely don't want to discuss it with _you_."

The Inquisitor just shrugged, not really caring if he knew or not, "Then let's get right to the point then, shall we?" He pointed his lightsaber straight at the Halfings, which made them back up further behind the Jedi Knight. "Hand over the Halflings, and I _might_ show you mercy."

Kanan didn't buy it one bit, as predicted, "You're not going to let me go either way."

The Pau'an's smile widened and he sighed, "No, not really."

And so it began. The Jedi Knight didn't hesitate and immediately Force-jumped into the air, lightsaber raised. The Inquisitor blocked the blow without giving any effort. He pushed Kanan back and then swung his blade at him several times, all of which the Jedi was able to avoid. When Kanan blocked the last blow, he used the Force to send the Pau'an flying back, intending to make him hit one of the trees. But the Inquisitor simply landed on the side of the tree with his feet and used it as leverage to launch himself at his opponent. He then Force-pushed Kanan back to where he almost crashed into the Halfings. Both of the little runts just watched fearfully, having no idea what to do.

Kanan let out a low grunt of pain before leaping back to his feet and clashing blades with the Inquisitor. The Pau'an was already enjoying his. Every time their lightsabers made contact, his smile only widened. The Jedi fool thought he could beat him again, like he did on the Star Destroyer. Little did he know that the Inquisitor had learned a lot from their previous encounter. He wasn't as powerful as a Sith like Palpatine or Vader, but he knew he was powerful enough to take this cowardly former padawan down.

After pushing the Jedi back once more, the Inquisitor decided it was time to activate the other side of his saber. Once he did so, he held it out in front of him and both blades started to spin around in a circle. Both of the Halflings jaws dropped at seeing a new type of lightsaber. Kanan frowned at him, trying to debate his next move. It didn't take long because the Inquisitor noticed rocks being lifted into the air all around him. He simply chuckled and waited for the Jedi to send them at him. And of course, he did, to which the Pau'an spun around until all rocks were just piles of rubble.

When the last rock was sliced into many pieces, the Inquisitor looked back at Kanan and grinned. Now it was his turn. Focusing on the Force, he lifted the blades of fallen Uruk-hai into the air behind him, pointing them in the direction of Jarrus. The Jedi sensed the danger and immediately shouted to the Halflings to duck. The Pau'an jerked his hand forward and sent the horde of blades at his enemy. Kanan wouldn't be able to take them _all_ out with his lightsaber, so he was forced to duck too, but not before getting a deep cut in his right arm by one of the blades. He cried out in pain, and clutched said arm, but still kept a firm grip on his lightsaber.

The Inquisitor began to walk towards him, his blade once again spinning out in front of him. Kanan tried to let go of the pain and rose back to his feet. He charged at the Pau'an, and the blades stopped spinning the moment both lightsabers made contact. The Inquisitor brought several powerful blows down upon Jarrus, his saber spinning every time he lifted it into the air. He could sense the Jedi starting to struggle, especially with the pain that was now in his arm. And he knew pain could _always_ break anyone, even a Jedi.

But then Kanan pressed his blade against his foe's, forced his arms up into the air, and then punched the Pau'an in the face. The Inquisitor stumbled back, slightly shocked from the punch, but was quick to recover and spat some blood out of his mouth. He snarled in anger and aimed his lightsaber for the Jedi's legs. Kanan blocked the blow, but failed to see the Pau'an send the other side of his lightsaber right into the side of his left arm. The Jedi grimaced, now having pain from both sides, which was exactly what the Pau'an had wanted.

The Inquisitor then kicked his leg into the Jedi's stomach, making him bend down. Before he could recover, the Pau'an reached out and pulled Kanan's lightsaber out of his hand and into his. His foe was now defenseless, and he was more than eager to let some of his hate out. He Force-choked the Jedi and then sent him crashing into several trees around him. Kanan yelled in pain as he hit every one. The Inquisitor could care less if he broke one of his bones. Revenge felt good. _Really_ good. Finally, he jerked his hand downward and made Kanan hit hard against the ground. The Jedi didn't move a muscle, but was breathing heavily.

The Halflings had seen enough. They were determined to not lose another friend, because they suddenly let out a battle cry, rose their swords, and attempted to charge at the Inquisitor. But the Pau'an had already signaled a couple nearby Uruks and they picked up the runts and put them over their shoulders.

Kanan struggled to sit up, and the Inquisitor simply knelt beside him, a smirk on his face.

"You've cost me so much, Jedi," he said with a shake of his head, "Thanks to you, I'm a failure to the Emperor and Lord Vader, and they are far worse to deal with than death itself."

Kanan coughed and struggled to speak, "Then..what are you..waiting for?! Just go ahead and...kill me if you...hate me so much!"

The Inquisitor seized the Jedi by the jaw and put his lightsaber up against his face.

"Believe me," he snarled, "I would like nothing better than to kill you right here and now!"

Kanan didn't even fight back. He seemed like he was prepared to die if that's what was about to happen. However, another smile formed on the Inquisitor's face. He deactivated his lightsaber and released his grip on the Jedi.

"However," he then said in deep thought, "there are _other_ ways to have revenge."

If Kanan was confused, he didn't show it. The Pau'an did see his fists clench, though.

The Inquisitor had then made up his mind, and he knew he was going to enjoy this, "You see, Jedi, there is so much going on that you don't know about. My new Empire has plans. Plans that are going to be...quite intriguing. And I would _love_ for you to witness it." He motioned for a couple Uruks to come forward. "Plus, I'm sure the Dark Lord would be very interested in a _Jedi_ captive."

Without warning, he then punched Kanan in the face, knocking him out cold. He stood up as the Uruks picked up the Jedi and carried him off with the others. The Pau'an knew they needed to get out of here, for he could sense others approaching. He nodded to the rest of the beasts, and they immediately started to run out of the forest. The Uruk leader had regained consciousness, and looked first at the dying Gondorian and then at the Inquisitor.

"No witnesses," the Pau'an simply told him.

With that being said, he rushed off to join the others. As he ran, he couldn't help but smile once more. He knew what was going to happen next. It wouldn't be long until the Empire's plans came into motion, and with the support of the dark forces of Mordor, it would be a quick and easy victory.

* * *

Boromir could hear several feet running away as he lied there on the ground. Each footstep felt like an echo to him, as well as his breath. He knew this was his last day in Middle Earth. After the wounds he had received, there was no way of getting better. He coughed and struggled to breath as he looked up at the face of the grinning Uruk leader. He watched the beast lift his bow and aim it right at his chest. This final arrow would be the official end of Boromir, son of the Stewart of Gondor. And he was ready for it.

The Uruk opened it's mouth and growled with pleasure. Boromir tried not to look at the disgusting and crooked teeth within its mouth. That was the last thing he wanted to see. But he knew the last thing he'd feel was pain. It didn't matter. To Boromir, this was a grand sacrifice. He was dying with honor. He was dying for his friends, for the Halfings, and especially for Gondor. If only he could've seen the White City again one last time. To be welcomed home by the blowing of silver trumpets. To embrace both his father and brother one last time. But Boromir knew life was always unexpected. Wherever he went to after this, he hoped to eventually be reunited with his family.

The Uruk pulled back the arrow, preparing to release it. However, he never got to finish the blow as suddenly someone ran into him and tackled him onto the ground. The arrow whizzed past Boromir and hit a nearby tree. He looked over to see that it was Aragorn who had tackled the Uruk. The ranger jumped back to his feet and swung for the beast's head. But the Uruk had enough time to duck and launch himself at the man. He made an attempt to swing for the ranger's chest, but he fortunately avoided the blade just in time. Aragorn then rose his own sword and it clashed against the Uruk's.

They fought for several seconds, each blow nearly decapitating each opponent. Aragorn seemed to be doing well, but then felt the creature force his arms to his side. Before the ranger could straighten back up the Uruk suddenly pushed him against a tree, making him lose his grip on his sword, and then threw his shield at the man's neck. Judging by how sharp said shield was, it should've cut off Aragorn's head. But as fortune would have it, the shield had two sharp tips on each side and stabbed the tree instead. The only bad part was that Aragorn was trapped between the tree and the shield. He was at his enemy's mercy, which he doubted the Uruk had.

It was then that Ezra and Sabine came around the corner, and their eyes immediately went wide when they saw the ranger about to get decapitated. The Uruk rose its sword and prepared to make the killing blow. But at that moment, Aragorn managed to loosen the shield and ducked just as the blade made contact with the tree. He rolled to the side, but didn't get very far as the Uruk kicked him in the stomach and then lifted him up in the air, choking him. He found himself gasping for breath, and the creature tightened its grip on him.

However, Ezra suddenly had an idea. There was no way the ranger could reach for his sword, so the apprentice figured he'd need to borrow one. He reached down and grabbed his lightsaber.

"Aragorn!" Ezra shouted as he tossed his weapon to him.

Aragorn successfully caught it. With the press of a button, the green blade came to life. It felt weird for a moment while in the ranger's hand, but he didn't let that distract him from the situation at hand. Before the Uruk could so much as glance at the weapon, Aragorn swung and decapitated him. He was instantly freed from the creature's grasp and watched as it crumpled to the ground dead. The ranger exhaled as he deactivated the lightsaber. He could feel a trickle of blood on his lips, but he ignored it and handed the weapon back to Ezra.

"An impressive weapon, indeed," he remarked as he caught his breath.

Ezra smirked, "That's exactly what I thought when I first held it."

Sabine just smiled and rolled her eyes. However, when she glanced around at her surroundings, her smile suddenly faded and was replaced by horror. She saw Boromir laying on the ground, two arrows in his chest and a burnt mark in the middle of his stomach. The Gondorian appeared to still be alive, but barely. His horn was cloven in two.

"Boromir?!" Sabine exclaimed, worriedly, rushing over to him.

Aragorn and Ezra instantly saw him too and became just as concerned as the Mandalorian. They rushed over and knelt by his side. The Gondorian was gasping for breath and his face was completely pale. He looked up at them and tried to speak as best as he could.

"They took Kanan and the little ones!" he gasped while coughing.

"Lay still," Aragorn ordered calmly, examining his wounds.

Boromir then grasped the ranger by the shoulder, "Frodo. Where is Frodo?"

Aragorn looked down for a moment and sighed, "I let Frodo go."

"Then you did what I could not," the Gondorian replied with a small nod, "I tried to take the Ring from him."

Sabine closed her eyes and lowered her head. She remembered perfectly well what had happened not too long ago. She remembered the madness in Boromir's eyes as he had tried to seize the Ring. Of course, there was no sign of that anymore. The Gondorian was back to himself, but it broke Sabine's heart that it had to be under these circumstances. There had to be some way to save him from death.

Aragorn looked at him compassionately, knowing perfectly well of the temptation that had taken over the man during the journey. Like Sabine, he saw that gone as well.

"The Ring is beyond our reach now."

"Forgive me," Boromir said with sorrow, "I did not see. I have failed you all."

Aragorn shook his head reassuringly, "No, Boromir. You've fought bravely."

He then made a move to pull the arrows out of his comrade, but the Gondorian stopped him and shook his head firmly.

"Leave it," Boromir said, a slight hint of hopelessness in his voice, "It is over. The world of Men will fall, and all will come to darkness." A tear rolled down his cheek. "And my city to ruin!"

Sabine and Ezra could see grief and despair in the man's eyes. Part of them wondered if he was right. After such a brutal attack as this, had they already lost? Frodo had left on his own to Mordor. Kanan, Merry, and Pippin were captured. And none of them had a clue as to where Sam was. It almost felt to Ezra like there was nothing they could do now. Sauron and Saruman had struck a heavy blow against the Fellowship.

However, Aragorn looked at Boromir sternly and said, "I do not know what strength is in my blood, but I swear to I will not let the White City fall, nor our people fail."

A small smile came to the Gondorian's now blue lips, "Our people...our people."

Aragorn nodded to him. He would make sure to keep his promise and protect Gondor, despite all of his previous thoughts. It was his city too, and he would not see it burnt to ashes by the forces of Mordor. Ezra could see a newfound respect within Boromir's eyes as he looked at the ranger. All the tension between the two men had faded, that much was certain. Boromir's eyes then went to the Mandalorian kneeling next to him. Sabine tried her best to control her tears, but watching this was too much for her.

"Sabine," the Gondorian said at last, "I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Boromir," she said shakily, trying to force a smile.

Boromir coughed and placed his hand on her arm, "I was driven mad by the Ring, and I should never have treated you the way I did." He swallowed and let out a sigh, "I destroyed our friendship, and I can never forgive myself for that. But I wish for us to part on good terms."

Immediately, Sabine shook her head firmly and smiled, "Boromir, you didn't destroy anything. You've _always_ been my friend, even after all we've been through. I've never considered you as anything other than my friend." She placed her other hand on his arm, "And that's why I need you to survive this. There's still so much we have yet to do."

Sweat was rolling down Boromir's face as he replied, "I'm afraid that can't happen, my lady." His grip on her arm tightened. "But there is something that I'd like you to do for me. Go to my city, find my brother, and look after him for me. You are my friend, and I wouldn't want anyone else to do such a task. Promise me that you will do so."

Tears were in Sabine's eyes, and she tried to think positively, "No, you'll be okay. We'll just have to patch you up. It might take some time but-"

"Promise me," Boromir interrupted, looking at the Mandalorian sternly.

Sabine wanted to think of anything but letting her friend go. There had to be some alternative. Something that could save him. She couldn't lose such a great friend. But then she looked at his wounds, especially the burnt mark. That's when she realized that nothing could be done. He was fading, and they didn't have all the proper technology to help him. She had to let him go, even though she didn't want to admit it. Tears began to slowly roll down her cheeks as she nodded.

"I promise," she whispered, "I will take care of him."

Boromir smiled at her and nodded, "You are a brave and courageous woman, Sabine Wren. I am glad to have known you. May you live a long and prosperous life."

She didn't know what else to say, so all she could do was smile. The Gondorian looked up at Ezra.

"Take care of her," he said.

Ezra nodded to him, silently saying farewell. Finally, Boromir looked back up at Aragorn, the small smile not leaving his face.

"I would've followed you my brother," he said as his breath shortened, "My captain. My king."

After that last word was said, the Gondorian suddenly stopped breathing and went limp. Sabine shook her head and tried to shake him awake.

"No no no, Boromir," she said worriedly, "It's okay. Come on, wake up."

Ezra and Aragorn lowered their heads, not sure what to do. They already knew he was gone, but Sabine was refusing to believe it.

"Come on," she said, growing more anxious, "You can do it. Wake up."

When nothing happened, the Mandalorian tried to cover her tears with anger, her face becoming red.

"Wake up!" she yelled, "Don't go! Not yet! Come on, wake up!"

Ezra immediately grabbed her and tried to make her stand up, but found her resisting.

" _Wake up_!" she bellowed.

Finally, Ezra managed to bring her to her feet and pulled her into a tight embrace. Her anger faded, and was replaced by heavy sobbing. Sabine buried her face in Ezra's shoulder and let all of the tears out. The young Jedi held her close and patted her on the back. A sad expression was on his face and he closed his eyes in sorrow. He knew that this was so hard for her, and he would do everything he possibly could to help her. They stood there while Aragorn bid his last farewell to Boromir. He bent down and kissed him on the forehead, a sign of respect.

"Be at peace, son of Gondor," he whispered.

There was a rustling sound from behind them and Gimli and Legolas came around the corner. When they saw what had happened, they lowered their weapons. Ezra didn't know where Hera and the others were, but he didn't want to ask. Not now. Both the dwarf and the Elf lowered their heads in respect. Aragorn finally stood up.

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower, but he will not return."

* * *

With there being no sign of any more Uruks, Hera Syndulla and her crew decided that it'd be best to return to the campsite. Gimli and Legolas had rushed off to find Aragorn and the others, so there was not much else for them to do. Plus, without any Jedi present, they needed as many people as possible to keep and eye on Maul. The Zabrak had regained consciousness, and was escorted through the forest, at gunpoint, by Rex and Zeb. Chopper followed far behind, slightly scared of the former Sith.

The group finally reached their campsite along the riverbank and were amazed to find that everything was as they had left it.

"I can't believe it," Zeb remarked, "I would've thought those bloody beasts had ransacked the place."

Rex shrugged, "Well, that's _one_ good thing, at least."

Chopper rolled in front of them and beeped a few times, his tone indicating he was asking a question.

Zeb rolled his eyes in aggravation, "No Chopper, we can't sit down and rest right now. We're kinda in the middle of a situation! What's the matter with you?!"

The astromech just grumbled and rolled up beside Hera. The Twi'lek captain looked around the campsite. As far as she could tell, all their belongings appeared present and accounted for, which was good because they'd need as much weapons as they could get. Hera wasn't expecting Ezra and Sabine to call for help, though. Those two sometimes liked to handle things themselves. Still, she was going to keep her comlink on, just in case.

Hera was kind of disappointed because she had half-hoped to find Kanan here, but the Jedi Knight was nowhere in sight. She sighed and tried to keep herself calm. Why did he have to disappear like that?! Didn't he know how stupid that had been?! He shouldn't have gone into the forest with Maul without some backup. Now they had the Zabrak with them and without any clue as to where the Jedi was. Hera swore to herself that she would never let Kanan hear the end of this. If they ever found him, that is.

Hopefully Ezra and Sabine had found him. She honestly didn't know where else they could look. However, as Hera looked around, her eyes suddenly caught sight of something out along the river. It wasn't very far from the shore, and the Twi'lek immediately recognized it as one of their boats.

"What's going on over there?" she questioned.

Zeb looked over at her with a raised brow and then looked at the river. He too saw it and frowned. The Lasat then left Rex to handle Maul while he walked beside Hera to get a better look. A few seconds later, they realized someone was leaning over the boat, reaching his hand into the water.

Zeb's eyes widened and he exclaimed, "It's Frodo!" He then frowned again as he watched the hobbit still leaning over the boat. "What's he doing?"

The Lasat's question was quickly answered as they saw Frodo pull someone out of the water. That made more sense now. Apparently someone had drowned and he had rescued him. Hera looked closely and realized that the other person was Sam. So that's where the hobbit had run off to. He had been trying to find Frodo. Well, at least that problem was solved. The crew had been partially worried about Sam, wondering if he was alright or not.

Hera and Zeb watched as both hobbits seemed to be talking quietly to each other. Then, Frodo pulled Sam in a tight embrace and nodded at him.

Zeb placed one hand on his hip and sighed, "Well, we better get them back to shore." He then put his hand to his mouth and hollered, "Hey, Frodo!"

But Hera rose her hand for the Lasat to be quiet and just stared at Frodo and Sam. She frowned curiously. Why was Frodo out in the river to begin with? It almost seemed like he was leaving. Hera then realized that both Frodo and Sam were looking back at them, apparently having heard Zeb's shout. But neither of them made a move to row the boat back to shore.

It was then that Hera got the realization of what was going on. Frodo had disappeared because he was wanting to go on his own. It was the only logical explanation. Hera didn't need to wonder why he was doing such a thing, because she already had a guess. The Ring was too dangerous to be around the Fellowship. She had known that for a long time, especially after Moria. If it stayed near all of them, who knows what could happen. They could be driven mad just by the desire of having it.

The expressions on both Frodo and Sam's faces held sadness, but also seriousness too. There was a strong bond between those two hobbits, and honestly if Hera had to pick someone to travel with Frodo, it'd be Sam. Even though she hated the thought of letting them go, she knew they were making a very brave and wise decision. The two hobbits nodded at the crew, biding them farewell. Hera returned said nod and gave them a wave, wishing them good luck. Then, without a second glance, Frodo and Sam turned and began paddling to the other side of the river. Zeb looked at Hera confusedly.

"What're you doing?" he asked, "Shouldn't we be going to help them?"

Hera shook her head, "They don't want us too."

Just then, the Twi'lek heard a twig snap from back in the forest. She, Zeb, and Rex turned as one and pointed their blasters in the direction of the noise. But, to their relief, they found it only to be Ezra. There were more footsteps behind him, and Hera assumed it was the others.

"You made it!" Rex exclaimed with a smile, "We feared the worst."

But Ezra didn't smile for some reason, and just looked behind him. Hera followed his gaze and her eyes widened. She saw Sabine, Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas carrying a corpse out of the forest. The Mandalorian's eyes were bloodshot and grief was written all over her face. The four companions reached the campsite and gently set the corpse down. The others peered over to see who it was and found it to be none other than Boromir.

"Oh no," Hera muttered, kneeling down beside the deceased body.

She immediately felt sorry for Sabine. She knew how much her friend meant to her, and judging by the look on her face, she was taking this pretty hard. The Twi'lek had honestly never seen her this upset before. Not even when she and Kanan had first recruited her for the rebellion. Sabine's eyes rested on the water before her, her jaw clenched.

"He didn't make it," she finally said, her voice showing evidence that she had been crying.

"Sabine," Hera said sadly, "I'm so-"

The Mandalorian held up her hand and shook her head, "Don't."

Rex looked as troubled as the rest of the company. However, he looked over at the others and realized that there were several missing.

"Where's Kanan and the hobbits?" he asked, glancing at Ezra.

The apprentice's arms were crossed he he was looking down at the ground, his face showing he was worried, "Captured by the enemy."

Zeb placed his hand over his head at hearing that and groaned, "Karabast, not again!"

Hera was thinking the exact same thing. She was relieved that Kanan hadn't died, but she was now also worried. What did the enemy want with him? She had thought they had been here just to get the hobbits. Sabine, meanwhile, had gazed over at Maul, who was silently watching the company talk among each other. Then, without warning, she marched over to the Zabrak and punched him in the face. He collapsed to the ground and looked up at her, slightly surprised. Everybody else immediately turned to see what was going on and saw the Mandalorian draw her gun, aiming it at Maul's head.

"Sabine?!" Ezra shouted in alarm, jumping in front of her, "What the heck are you doing?!"

"This is all his fault!" she growled, pushing the apprentice aside, "He led them here!"

Maul felt a little blood on his lip and chuckled amusingly, "Well now, I didn't realize you had that warrior spirit within you." He smiled mockingly at her, "You really are a Mandalorian."

Sabine's grip on her blaster tightened. She wanted to pull the trigger and watch the laser bolt go right through his head! He deserved it! However, before she ever got the chance, Ezra grabbed her arm and forced the blaster down.

"Sabine, don't!" he said, trying to make her snap out of it, "You can't kill him! You're not in your right mind, and you'd be killing him out of hatred!"

"He deserves it!" Sabine snapped as she struggled to lift her blaster up.

Maul appeared to be enjoying this. He rose back to his feet and stared coolly at the Mandalorian.

"Well?" he challenged her, "What are you waiting for? Do it! Prove that you're a true Mandalorian like the rest of your people. Strike me down and take your _vengeance_!"

Rex came up behind him and pointed his blaster at the Zabrak's neck, "Shut up!"

Aragorn rushed over and held up a hand towards Ezra, telling him it was alright. The ranger then made Sabine turn around to face him and he placed both hands on her shoulders comfortingly. She looked up at him, still having some tears left in her eyes.

"Sabine, I know you're hurting," Aragorn said calmly, "We _all_ are. But killing out of vengeance will not bring Boromir back. He made a huge sacrifice. He died so we can live on and finish this Quest." He placed one of his hands on her cheek and brushed a tear away. "He wouldn't want you to be like this."

Sabine didn't respond. She just stared into the ranger's eyes and tried to dry her tears away. She knew he was right, but the pain in her heart was just too much. However, she slowly put her blaster back in its holster and nodded.

"Come," Aragorn then said to her, pointing towards the body, "Let us both say goodbye to him one last time. Then we will put him in one of the boats and let him float down the Anduin in peace."

And that's exactly what they did. The Fellowship watched as Sabine and Aragorn lifted the Gondorian into one of the boats. Ezra wanted to help, but thought it wise to let Sabine handle this. She had been closer to Boromir than anyone else in the company. She had the right to take care of her dear friend one last time.

They laid him down to where he appeared to be comfortable. Then they placed the broken horn beside him and wrapped his hands around his sword. Sabine looked at his face and it almost looked like he was indeed at peace. She was happy for him, but part of her would miss him dearly. He had been a fellow warrior and a true friend to be around. She then softly spoke in a language that none of the others understood, not even the crew of _the Ghost_. What she was speaking in, though, was Mandalorian. She was basically giving him a warrior's goodbye. And she meant every word.

With that, she stood up and let Aragorn gently push the boat into the water. It immediately began to follow the tide, heading straight toward the waterfall. Rex removed his helmet and lowered his head in respect, along with the rest of the company. The clone remembered doing such a thing before. A long time ago, during the war. It had been for Jedi Master Even Piell, who had been imprisoned in a Separatist fortress known as the Citadel. The Republic had been sent to rescue him, and they had been successful. However, after an unexpected attack, Master Piell had been killed. Watching the Gondorian float along the river reminded Rex so much of that day, and it hurt even more to have now witnessed _two_ leaders pass on into the afterlife this way.

The boat containing Boromir finally reached the waterfall. Sabine cherished every single remaining second until finally, it went over the edge and out of sight. He was gone now, and she doubted she would ever set eyes on him again.

Legolas then looked over towards the other side of the river and noticed that Frodo and Sam had gotten out of the boat and were walking into another forest. He quickly rushed over to the last boat they had and began to push it towards the water.

"Hurry!" he called to the others, "Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore!"

A scowl came to Zeb's face and he marched after the Elf in disbelief, "Frodo and Sam?!" He pointed back at the forest behind him, "What about Kanan and the two chuckle heads?! Are you going to let them suffer at the hands of Saruman and the Empire?!"

Legolas straightened up and faced the Lasat, "I would not see them suffer; you know that. But I also worry for Frodo and Sam. It is our duty to protect the Ring Bearer, so we must follow him."

The Elf glanced over at Aragorn, expecting him to agree, but was surprised to see the ranger silent. He bound his wounds and then put on two vambraces that he had gotten from Boromir. Both of them resembled the White Tree of Gondor. Aragorn would keep these in memory of the man. He then looked across the river to where the hobbits had vanished. Seeing the expression on the ranger's face made Legolas realize that he had already made his decision.

"You mean not to follow them," the Elf muttered.

Aragorn sighed and finally said, "Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands."

The crew of _the Ghost_ let those words sink in, and they couldn't help but feel guilty. They knew Aragorn spoke the truth, as did the rest of the Fellowship.

"Then it as all been in vain!" Gimli said hopelessly with a shake of his head, "The Fellowship has failed!"

Aragorn glanced at his remaining companions, a confident look on his face, and shook his head, "Not as long as we hold true to each other. We will not abandon Kanan, Merry, and Pippin to torment and death. Not while we have strength left."

"Agreed!" Rex replied with a firm nod, "We'll make those uglies sorry for ever crossing paths with us!"

Surprisingly, that made the whole company feel a tad bit better. They now had energy within them. Energy to go and get their people back. And if Saruman and whatever forces wanted to stand in their way and fight, then so be it!

Aragorn smiled grimly, "So they shall." He then proceeded to gather some supplies, the others doing the exact same thing. "Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light." He then put a spare dagger in a sheath and looked at them with a smirk. "Let's hunt some orc."

Zeb, Gimli, and Legolas glanced at each other, a small smile forming on their lips.

Then, both the dwarf and the Lasat shouted "Yes!" and ran after the ranger. Hera and Rex just rolled their eyes and grinned before following them as well, making sure to keep Maul in front of them. Ezra and Chopper were about to do the same, but then stopped. They saw Sabine was kneeling down in front of a stone, spraying one of her paint canisters on it. Ezra frowned and walked over to her. But once he had reached her, she had finished and stood up to examine her work. Ezra stood beside the Mandalorian and looked down to see what she had done.

When he saw, he immediately recognized it. How could he not? He had seen it before several times, back on Lothal. It was the rebel symbol. The mark of the Phoenix Squadron. A symbol to the rebellion that there was always hope.

"I just felt like I needed to do this," Sabine remarked quietly, "It's been a crazy couple of months."

Ezra nodded understandingly, "It's beautiful."

The Mandalorian shrugged, "It just always seems to make me feel better, especially during dark times like these." She then turned around and looked at the river, watching the water sparkle in the sunshine. "And I thought that if anybody happened to pass by, they'd see this, and it'd give them hope."

Ezra smiled and took her hand, "I'm sure it will."

She looked over at him and tightened her grip on his hand before looking back at the river again, "You know, part of me wonders if we should've gone with Frodo."

The apprentice shook his head and looked at the water with her, "No, I don't think so. He made the right call, even if it's hard for all of us to accept." He then sighed, "This is his journey, but I know we will see him again."

Sabine looked at him, "Do you know that for sure?"

Ezra nodded and smiled, "I do."

She finally smiled too. Honestly, none of them really knew what'd happen, nor if they'd be alive in the end. All Ezra knew was that as long as they stuck together, they'd make sure to make Mordor pay for all of its evil. They both eventually turned away and tried to catch up with the others, Chopper following close behind.

The hard times had arrived, as Galadriel had said. Ezra could see that now, and he knew that more difficult decisions would come in the future. Was he ready for them? No. But he would meet them head-on nonetheless.

* * *

 **And thus concludes the Fellowship of the Ring part of the story. It's been a long road. lol. But I promise that it will continue to get better. :) Now I know that some of you were hoping that Ezra and Sabine would go with Frodo and Sam, and I was honestly considering it. However, after thinking long and hard about it, it just didn't seem to fit. That journey honestly feels like it should just belong to Frodo and Sam. However, that doesn't mean that I don't have something unique in mind that I think you guys will like. :) Plus, if I had gone through with it, I'd miss out on some cool opportunities that I don't think any author has tried before. lol. Trust me, this story is going to become very interesting. Anyways, thank you for reading, guys. :) Hope you enjoyed it. :) I think the next chapters might be a little shorter, but we'll just have to see. lol. Until next time. :)**


	40. Chapter 39

**Here's the first chapter for the Two Towers arc. :) Sorry for another long delay guys, I'm just really busy with school work. As I've said before, these first couple chapters will be shorter than my previous ones. I kinda want to have the same amount of chapters I had for the Fellowship of the Ring arc. Don't worry, they won't be too short. lol. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy this one. As usual, please review. :) (Oh, and I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!)**

* * *

 **Chapter 38: A Glimmer of Hope**

 _"Caleb? Wake up, Caleb."_

Kanan woke up with a start and jumped to his feet. He didn't waste time to seize his lightsaber from his belt and activate the blue blade, shining it all around him. However, after all of this transpired, several questions came to his mind that he didn't have an answer to. First of all, where the heck was he? The Jedi Knight found himself standing in a small room. There was not much in it except for a small bed and table. Everything in the room was gray, even the walls. Kanan was also surprised to find that he was _alone_.

Why was he alone? He could've sworn that they were attacked, and that he had been taken. This room did not look like a cell at all. It looked too...peaceful. That's when Kanan suddenly realized something else. Something that he should've noticed the moment he woke up. He could _see_! He wasn't blind! But that was impossible. No one could ever regain sight after being struck by a lightsaber. Yet, Kanan could see everything around him. He'd be glad that this was so if he wasn't still confused about where he was. Something felt off to him about this place.

Kanan found himself examining his surroundings yet again, and this time he discovered that this place felt...familiar. Like he had seen it before a long time ago, but had pushed it to the back of his mind. He deactivated his lightsaber and clipped it back onto his belt. Come to think of it, he shouldn't have his weapon in the first place. What was the enemy trying to accomplish here? There was something strange going on and Kanan didn't like it one bit. He made a move to open the door when his eyes all of a sudden caught sight of something on the table.

There was a Jedi Holocron sitting there, similar to the one he had on board _the Ghost_. Without a second thought, Kanan walked over and picked it up, examining it closely. This holocron looked exactly like his, but it couldn't be. There was no possible way the enemy could've found the ship and this along with it. What Kanan also found strange was that both the table and the holocron were placed at the far left corner of the room. He vaguely remembered that he had set a similar table and his holocron at that same corner in his room when he had lived in the... _Jedi Temple_.

Kanan's eyes suddenly went wide and he abruptly dropped the holocron. He found himself once again looking around at the room he was in. It looked familiar because he had been in it before. This _was_ his room in the Jedi Temple! But that was impossible. The Temple had been mostly destroyed during Order 66. The room shouldn't even be here. _He_ shouldn't even be here. What the heck was going on?!

Kanan wanted answers, and he had a feeling that said answers were beyond the door, so he walked over and hit a button on the wall. Instantly, the door slid open and a bright light blocked the Jedi Knight's vision. Kanan put one arm over his eyes and struggled to see what was out there. Unfortunately, he was making little progress. The light was just too bright to see anything.

 _"Come, Caleb."_

Kanan frowned. He could've sworn he'd heard a voice. A very distant voice that was coming from the light in front of him. He didn't need to wonder if it was speaking to him, because he knew it was. It had called him by his real name: Caleb Dume. Cautiously, Kanan stepped forward, still struggling to see anything beyond the light. He took another step, and another. Confidence started to reenter his heart the further he moved towards the light. He slowly lowered his arm, not caring if the light shined into his eyes, and began to walk at a normal pace.

The further Kanan walked, the dimmer the light became. He could finally make out shapes in front of him. Several _moving_ shapes that resembled men and women. At last, the light vanished, and Kanan couldn't believe what he saw. He was standing in the Jedi Temple, and it looked as beautiful as it had used to before it's destruction. What was even more shocking was that the men and women around him were _Jedi_! It was not just because of the robes they wore; He also recognized the faces of some of them because he had met them before, although briefly. Kit Fisto, Luminara Unduli, Plo Koon, Mace Windu, Ki-Adi-Mundi. It was like Order 66 never happened.

Every Jedi Kanan had ever known was alive and well and standing all around him. They were quietly talking among themselves, but they paused for a brief moment to nod and smile at him as he passed by. Kanan returned the gesture, although he was very confused about what was going on here. All of this couldn't be real, even though he very much wanted it to be so. There was so much pain and suffering that he had gone through over the years, which had to mean this couldn't be a reality.

Or could it?

What if all of that pain had just been a dream? What if everything Kanan 'thought' he had experienced had just been a figment of his imagination? Watching his master get shot down by clones. Hiding far into the Outer Rim and concealing his identity as a Jedi. Meeting Hera, Zeb, Sabine, and Ezra. Forming a rebellion to fight back against an evil and corrupt Galactic Empire. Getting stranded in a strange world called Middle Earth and meeting unusual, yet friendly, people. Could all of that had been a dream? What if he was just waking up from a horrible nightmare? Maybe his master and his friends hadn't died after all, and the clone troopers could still be trusted. It suddenly felt like a possibility to Kanan. How could the Jedi Order crumble and be destroyed by the Dark Side, especially if it had prevailed for thousands of years? The idea now sounded preposterous. No Jedi could ever be blinded by such deception.

Yet, there was still one small part of Kanan that had a strange feeling about what he was seeing right now. Something about this scene felt off. There was still a bright light all around, making it impossible for Kanan to look out the window and see the skyscrapers of Coruscant. No, this couldn't be real. The Temple looked too peaceful, and Kanan knew for a fact that it shouldn't be. If all of this was real, then the Jedi would be busy trying to win the Clone Wars, not standing around a talking without any look of concern.

Kanan lowered his head to the ground and sighed. Why was the Force torturing him like this? All these faces were a painful memory, especially since he knew that most of them had to be dead. There was a time, during his hiding, that he had tried to close himself off from the Force and forget everything. But, thanks to Hera, he found himself once again going into a war, wielding his lightsaber and making it very clear to the Empire that not all of the Jedi were gone. He just wished that none of them were gone at all.

 _"Come, Caleb. Come."_

Kanan twirled around, once again hearing that distant voice. His eyes narrowed when he saw that it was coming from an area all too familiar to him. He found himself sprinting down the hallway until he came into a wide open area within the Temple. Up ahead was a small room, and he could hear the sound of lightsabers coming from within. Kanan walked inside and saw, as he had suspected, Jedi younglings training with droids. Their faces were covered as they tried to reach out with the Force and deflect the stun blasts the droids shot at them. Standing in front of the younglings was none other than Master Yoda, who watched amusingly as some of his students tried, and failed, with the exercise. One youngling fell, to which the elder Jedi walked over and kindly offered him a helping hand. Yoda then whispered to him words of encouragement and then told him to continue practicing.

Kanan found himself smiling at that. He remembered struggling through the same thing once when he had learned under Yoda for a short time. Learning the ways of the Force as a youngling hadn't been that difficult. Being a padawan, however, was another story. But Kanan would never had missed that experience. For he had had a strong bond with Depa Billaba, and he never regretted becoming her apprentice. The smile faded from Kanan's face then. If only that hadn't been for such a short time.

Just then, all the younglings stopped what they were doing and looked over in Kanan's direction. Yoda followed their gaze. However, Kanan realized that they were not looking at him, but rather something behind him. He turned around and saw that all the other Jedi within the Temple were walking towards a bright light in the hallway. It wasn't long until Yoda and the younglings started to follow them as well. The elder Jedi beckoned his students out of the room and they all walked past Kanan to join their comrades. Kanan wondered where they were all going, but he couldn't see what was beyond the light. Before long, all of the Jedi went into the light and out of sight, leaving him standing all alone in the hallway.

He had no idea what to do now. He half expected to be waking up anytime now. But when he closed his eyes and opened them again, nothing happened. What else was he supposed to see? However, as Kanan waited, he found that answer came sooner than expected.

"Caleb?" a soft female voice said from behind him.

Kanan froze, his entire body instantly becoming stiff. That had to be the distant voice that had been calling his name earlier, and now that it was up close, it sounded...very familiar. Slowly, he turned around to meet the new arrival. He found himself looking upon the face of a woman with dark hair, brown Jedi robes, and a kind, welcoming smile. Kanan felt his heart pounding with both shock and relief as he immediately recognized who she was.

"M-Master?!" he exclaimed.

Depa Billaba smiled and examined the Jedi Knight, "You have grown, padawan. You are no longer the young reckless boy I remember teaching so long ago."

Kanan didn't know what to say. Half of him wanted to rush over and embrace his former master, but he didn't know if that was a good idea or not. He honestly wasn't sure if she was just a hallucination or if she was real. But she couldn't be real. He saw her die. He could never forget a day like that, yet here she stood before him.

"What is this?" Kanan found himself asking, shaking his head, "This isn't possible. It can't really be you."

Depa let out a small laugh and nodded her head, "It's me, Caleb. I promise you."

She then walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder. At that moment, Kanan could feel her presence through the Force. It really _was_ her! He didn't know how this was possible, but he could recognize the presence of Depa Billaba anywhere. Without a second thought, the Jedi pulled her into a tight embrace. Depa just smiled and returned the gesture. Kanan knew that attachment was forbidden for a Jedi, but he didn't care right now. His old master had been like the mother he never had. She was the closest thing to it, considering that he never knew his biological family. Finally, after a few seconds, Kanan released his master, trying to find something to say.

"I-I don't understand how you can be here," he finally managed to say, "Am I having some sort of vision?"

Depa glanced down for a moment, as if choosing her words carefully, and then shrugged, "Yes and no. Let's just call this a visit from an old friend."

Kanan paused for a brief moment, trying to process what she was saying, but then sighed confusedly, "I'm sorry, Master, but I still don't understand."

Depa laughed, "And I do not expect you to, my old padawan." She then glanced around for a second and then pointed a finger over to Kanan's left. "Why don't we sit down."

Kanan followed to where she was pointing, and immediately saw a bench. The funny thing, though, was that the Jedi Knight could've sworn it hadn't been there a few minutes ago. Nevertheless, both master and apprentice walked over to the bench and sat down. Depa, however, sat closest to the bright light at the end of the hallway. Right then and there, Kanan knew that she couldn't stay.

"This is only a temporary visit, isn't it," he said, trying not to sound disappointed.

A sad smile came to Depa's face as she nodded, "I'm afraid so, Caleb. Even now, the netherworld of the Force summons me back. But, I wanted to speak to you. To give you one last bit of advice before I am gone for good."

Kanan nodded understandingly, and smiled, "I'll have to admit, I'm happy to see you again."

"As am I, padawan," Depa replied, her smile slowly fading and being replaced by concern, "But I also sense conflict within you. You are slightly in pain with me being here."

Kanan lowered his head and buried it in his hands. He had forgotten at how good his master was at reading him. There was never anything he could hide from her, no matter how hard he tried. And she was definitely right this time. Despite being glad to see her, her presence brought back more of those painful memories. Guilt slowly filled Kanan's heart as he looked back up at her.

"Master," he said quietly, his voice slightly trembling, "I'm sorry for what happened that day. I shouldn't have run like that. I could've saved you, but I didn't. I chose the coward's way out, and I can never forgive myself for it. I should've been more worthy of an apprentice. I should've-"

He found himself unable to say anything else, and turned his head away. Even if he had found more words to say, he never got the chance to do so because he felt Depa take his hands and put them into hers. He knew she wanted him to look at her, so he slowly did so. When he met her eyes, she gave him a stern, yet comforting look.

"You did what I told you to do, Caleb," she replied, making sure her words sank into his heart, "You did _nothing_ wrong. I ordered you to run because I knew there was no possible way of both of us getting off that planet alive. It's a master's duty to protect her padawan." Her grip on his hands slightly tightened, "When that order went out, I knew my fate was sealed. And I knew that the best thing I could do for you was give you the chance to live out the rest of your life. Because the truth, Caleb, is that you _are_ a worthy apprentice. You always have been. I have observed you over the years and I couldn't be more proud of the man you've become."

The words did indeed sink into Kanan's heart. There had been times during his exile when he felt ashamed of what he had turned into, and even over the past couple months those thoughts haunted him. But to here the voice of his own master telling him it was alright and that she was proud of what he had become, that made all the difference in the world.

He then took a deep breath and said, "Thank you, Master. You have no idea how much that means to me."

"You're welcome," Depa answered, then suddenly giving him an amused smile, " _Kanan Jarrus_. That name is of your own creation, I take it?"

Kanan smirked and shrugged, "Well I really didn't have much of a choice. Things had changed for me really fast."

"Indeed," Depa chuckled with a nod, "And I see you've taken on an apprentice of your own."

Kanan nodded, the memory of his padawan instantly returning to his mind. "Ezra."

A frown slowly formed on his face at that. He wondered if Ezra knew he had been captured. Most likely. No doubt he and the rest of the Fellowship were planning on rescuing him. He just hoped they'd reach him in time. Kanan honestly couldn't recall how long ago he'd been taken captive. It could've been hours or even days. If that was the case, his captors were getting close to _wherever_ they were taking him. Ezra was probably worried about what they were planning to do with him. Kanan kind of wished _he_ had an idea about what their plans were.

"I've been impressed with how much you've been able to teach him," Depa remarked, the amusement not leaving her face, "But he still has a lot to learn about the ways of the Jedi."

Kanan slightly chuckled at that, "You have no idea." However, the pained look in his eyes returned when he looked at his master. "Honestly, I still have a lot to learn too, especially from you."

Depa shook her head immediately at that, "No. You've learned all you needed to know from me." She then gave him a reassuring smile. "You mustn't keep on torturing yourself for my passing, Caleb. All Jedi become one with the Force someday. And it was the will of the Force that my time as your master ended all those years ago."

Kanan gave a small nod, trying his hardest to understand, but then curiosity came over him and he asked, "If I may, Master, what is it like there? In the netherworld of the Force?"

The expression on Depa's face lightened, "It's _beautiful_."

The look in her eyes said it all. Kanan realized how happy she must be to have passed on and live in this afterlife. He had only heard stories about the netherworld of the Force. Master Yoda once told him that it was a place where there was no past nor future, and especially no war. Part of him wished he could see it. To escape all the pain and suffering in the galaxy and just live in peace. But Depa seemed to have read him again, and gave him another stern look.

"No, it is not yet your time, padawan," she said, "There is still much you have yet to do. The world you are trapped on is now only beginning to experience what the darkness has in store for them." She rested her hand over his. "Your friends will need you, Caleb. As will your new allies."

Kanan looked back up at her, both surprised and confused, " _New_ allies? What do you mean?"

But Depa just merely shook her head and rose to her feet, "I cannot reveal much. Just know, Caleb, that your part in your journey will be tested. You must stick on the right path if you want to save this world."

Kanan stood up as well, having a feeling that he knew what was going to happen next. And oh how right he was when his master put her hand on his shoulder in a farewell gesture.

"And now, my young padawan, my time has come," Depa said sadly, "I would like nothing more than to guide you, but my story is over. Yours has much more in store for you."

With that, Depa Billaba turned towards the bright light and began to walk to it. Kanan cherished every single last second he had to see his master. Slowly, she was beginning to fade from view. But he didn't want her to. He still had so many questions to ask her. Who were these new allies she spoke of? How would he be tested? What would even _become_ of him and his friends?

It was then that Kanan noticed the bright light was starting to surround him as well. He could no longer see the Jedi Temple, and he was forced to put his hand over his eyes again. He squinted, trying to see if he could spot his master, but he found no sign of her. He did, however, hear her voice speak to him one last time as the light completely blocked his vision.

"Goodbye, Caleb. The Force will be with you. _Always_."

* * *

Pain.

That was the first thing Kanan felt as he regained consciousness. His whole body was in pain. He tried to open his eyes to see what was wrong, but immediately the memory of being blind returned, so he simply let out a low groan. Everything else started to come back to him as well. His arrival to Middle Earth. Joining the Fellowship of the Ring. Losing Gandalf. Learning the Inquisitor was still alive. His capture. And...Merry and Pippin. Instantly, worry started to fill Kanan's heart. Were the two hobbits alright?! He knew they had definitely been captured along with them. And if the Uruks harmed them in any way, he swore he would-!

What? What would he do? What _could_ he do? His hands were bound. Kanan could feel the handcuffs on his wrists, which disappointed him. If it had been vines, he could've broken free easily, but apparently the Empire had plenty of advanced technology than he and the crew of _the Ghost_ did. He tried to determine what kind of handcuffs they were. Most likely designed to detain Jedi, considering how he could feel the Inquisitor somewhere near him. Kanan could also feel vines around his wrists as well, which confused him. Well, that was until he realized what position he was in. He could feel his stomach sliding against something. It wasn't hard then to figure out that he was being dragged.

Quite 'hospitable' of his captors. That explained at least _some_ of the pain he was experiencing. The rest of it he learned the hard way as he suddenly felt someone accidentally step on his leg. Kanan immediately yelled in pain, but then burst out coughing as some dirt went into his mouth and down his throat. He then learned that it was an Uruk who had stepped on him because he felt the beast slightly stumble for a second and then growl angrily. Kanan would've said that it wasn't his fault, but he thought against it, knowing the Uruk would probably beat him to death for simply speaking.

He didn't feel like he could speak anyway. Now that he was more aware of his surroundings, the Jedi Knight also realized that he felt awful. His throat was dry. There was the taste of both blood and dirt on his lips and in his mouth. He couldn't feel his legs that well. And he had a horrible headache. It didn't help to smell the stench of all the Uruk-hai around him either. He wondered if the Halflings were feeling the same way. If they were alright, that is. Despite the pain, Kanan tried his hardest to reach out with the Force and find them. He was instantly relieved to discover that they were only a couple feet ahead of him. Unfortunately, they were strapped to the back of a couple Uruks.

Kanan could sense Pippin looking around fearfully, no doubt wondering where their captors were taking them. Merry, however, was motionless. A slight hint of fear entered Kanan for a moment as he also took note of the hobbit's head slightly leaning back. However, said fear passed when he could feel Merry's heart beating. He was still alive. Good. If Kanan had to guess why the hobbit was behaving this way, it was probably because he was putting on an act. Merry was most likely hoping that the Uruks would think him dead and just drop him before moving on.

It was a smart idea, to be sure, but Kanan knew the Uruks weren't _that_ stupid. And the fact that there was an Inquisitor with them didn't make things any better. The Jedi Knight figured the Pau'an would see right through Merry's little game. That was probably the reason why he paid no attention to the hobbit now. Although, Kanan also figured that the Dark Side wielder could care less about what state his prisoners were in. He was like a mindless machine. He just did his job, got what he wanted, and that was that. There was a time Kanan would've thought the Pau'an no different than the clone troopers, but after meeting Rex and learning his side of things, he had developed a newfound respect for the soldiers. Clones could always make a choice, just like Rex did during Order 66. But those who followed the Dark Side, like the Inquisitor and Darth Vader, were forced to obey the will of the Emperor, or else suffer the consequences. Plus, Kanan doubted anybody could ever return from the Dark Side. It had never been done before, as far as he could tell.

Just then, Kanan all of a sudden sensed panic. However, after a brief second, he realized Pippin was looking at his cousin, who appeared to be 'unconscious.' The Jedi Knight immediately knew what the hobbit was thinking.

"Merry?!" Pippin whispered worriedly.

Kanan was thinking about giving the hobbit some sort of signal to tell him everything was okay. But before he could even think of one, the Uruks all of a sudden stopped running and stood perfectly still. The Jedi frowned confusedly. Why were they stopping? They couldn't have possibly reached their destination yet. He just sensed hills and grass all around them. It must've been something else that made them stop. The Inquisitor seemed as confused because Kanan then sensed him moving through the crowd of Uruks and up to the front.

What neither the Jedi nor the hobbits realized was that one of the Uruks at the front of the group had caught some sort of scent. He had risen his fist, indicating for the rest of the party to stop. The new leader of the Uruk-hai, Ugluk, who had been second in command to the now deceased Lurtz, was about to ask why they had stopped, but then saw the source. Emerging from the rocks up ahead of them came a group of Orcs. Ugluk growled in annoyance as he recognized one particular Orc leading them. Grishnakh was his name, and one of the most ugliest of creatures the Uruk had ever seen.

Both parties came face to face, each one slightly hissing and growling at each other.

"You're late," Grishnakh finally spoke, looking at Ugluk, "Our master grows impatient. He wants the Shire rats _now_!"

Ugluk rose his sword and pointed it close to the Orc's throat, "I don't take orders from Orc maggots!"

After hearing that, Grishnakh hissed angrily at the Uruk, showing his crooked, sharp teeth. However, before Ugluk could do anything else, he felt a sudden pressure on his throat. Said pressure continued to tighten until he realized he was choking. He reached for his throat to find the source, but only felt air. That's when he realized who was doing it. The Inquisitor emerged from behind him, his hand raised into a near fist.

"No," the Pau'an said with a cold stare, "You take orders from _me_. And there will be no killing any of our allies. We have enough problems on our hands, and I will not risk having another." He leaned his head closer to Ugluk's. "Is that understood?"

The Uruk growled something that the Pau'an couldn't hear.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," the Inquisitor sneered.

"Yes!" Ugluk yelled, grabbing his throat in horrible pain.

The Inquisitor smiled pleasingly and released his grip on the beast. Ugluk then had a coughing fit for a couple seconds before rising back to his full height. He avoided making eye contact with the Pau'an and instead looked at Grishnakh.

He clenched his fists and said through gritted teeth, "Saruman will have his prize. We _will_ deliver them."

Grishnakh didn't respond and instead just hissed again at the Uruk leader. Ugluk paid him no mind and turned around to inspect the rest of his group. The Inquisitor, on the other hand, didn't pay attention to either of them and instead frowned as something caught his attention. He realized that the Orcs hadn't come alone. Behind them was a small squad of stormtroopers, none of which looked the least bit thrilled to be around the disgusting creatures.

The Inquisitor tried not to become aggravated, considering that he had never ordered a squad to come and meet the group. However, the Pau'an then spotted one figure emerge from the squad and he immediately understood why they were here. They were simply following orders from someone else. The figure was an Imperial officer, who wore a long grey-leathered uniform, an old officer's hat, and had a completely white right eye due to the scar on his face. He also carried around a small metal cane behind his back. It was a face that the Inquisitor could never forget so easily.

"Admiral Vankoff," the Pau'an acknowledged, crossing his arms.

Vankoff nodded back, expressionless, "Inquisitor."

The frown didn't leave the Inquisitor's face as he then remarked, "I don't recall summoning you here."

"I figured you'd need the reinforcements," Vankoff simply replied, "We _are_ dealing with the Lothal rebels, after all."

The Admiral then looked past the Pau'an and at the group of Uruks. If he was disgusted by the creatures appearances, he showed no sign of it. He scanned each beast until his eyes fell upon the two small lifeforms strapped behind the backs of two Uruks. Without saying a word, he began to walk their direction. The Uruks backed away, making sure both Vankoff and the Inquisitor could get through. They were honestly more afraid of the Pau'an than the Admiral, considering how he just threatened their leader.

Vankoff finally stopped in front of the two hobbits, taking note that one of them was unconscious. His eyes then fell on Pippin, who was trying his hardest not to appear frightened, but doing a very poor job of it. Vankoff simply smirked and seized the Halfling by the jaw with one of his gloved hands. He then turned Pippin's head from side to side, apparently looking him over. After a few seconds, he released the hobbit's jaw and glanced at the Inquisitor.

"You got them," he commented pleasingly, "Well done. The wizard will no doubt be pleased."

The Inquisitor slightly rolled his eyes, "That would be a first."

Vankoff then looked at the hobbits again, curiosity written in his eyes, "Tell me, what will become of them?"

The Pau'an shrugged, "Once we get what we want, they'll most likely be eliminated."

When Pippin heard that, there was a flash of fear in his eyes as he nervously looked between the two.

Vankoff shook his head disappointingly, "Pity. I think it would be a waste to dispose of them. They would honestly be _quite interesting_ to test out for the project."

Kanan, who had immediately recognized Vankoff's voice, rose his head after hearing that. Project? What _project_? What in the world were they talking about? A bad feeling started to creep into his heart, and he didn't feel the least bit reassured that that was nothing to worry about. Vankoff apparently hadn't noticed him yet, so Kanan tried to not move around as much. Maybe if he remained quiet, he could learn more about what the two were discussing.

The Inquisitor rose a brow as he looked at the hobbits as well, "I don't think these Halflings are even close to what we're looking for."

"A bonus, perhaps," Vankoff suggested, a slight hint of eagerness in his voice, "What harm would it do? I'm sure the old man won't miss them."

The Inquisitor smirked and shrugged, "I'm staying out of this, Admiral. This is _your_ project. If you want them, you'll have to take it up with the wizard."

The Admiral nodded, without even glancing back at him, "Then that's exactly what I'll do."

He then reached his hand back and made a beckoning motion with his finger. The Inquisitor frowned at that and looked back to see what the man was beckoning for. When he saw it, the Pau'an was starting to think the Admiral had gone mad. He looked back at Vankoff, his eyes wide in shock, but not saying a word.

Kanan frowned as well, wondering what was going on. But then, after a second or two, he heard a strange clanking sound. He had no idea where it was coming from, so he reached out with the Force to try and find the source. But when he did, he became even more confused. Something was emerging from small squad of stormtroopers. Something _big_. It wasn't alive. Kanan was sure of it, because he couldn't detect a heartbeat. All he knew was that it was moving, no, _walking_ this way.

The Jedi Knight tried to get a picture of what this thing was. From what he could tell, it was shaped like a human, except a couple inches taller than the average stormtrooper. It held a blaster in its hands. A battle droid? No, it couldn't be one of those old Confederate droids. Kanan knew those type of droids all too well. They were small, weak, and easy to slice with a lightsaber. The Clone Wars taught him that much. And it was definitely not a Super Battle droid, because those droids had blasters on its arms. Whatever it was, Kanan was certain that it was a droid.

Pippin saw differently. To the hobbit, the thing looked like one of the stormtroopers, except taller and with grey armor. It also had a menacing appearance that made the hobbit hope it wouldn't look his way. It approached Admiral Vankoff and the Inquisitor and immediately stood at attention.

The droid then spoke in a low metallic voice, "You request an update, Admiral?"

"Not right now, Zero-Nine," Vankoff replied as he pointed his finger at the two Halflings, "Scan these two and calculate whether or not they're worthy of testing."

Zero-Nine's head immediately turned towards Pippin, making the latter turn his head the other way. Kanan was officially positive, due to the voice, that this was some type of droid.

"What are you doing?!" he heard the Inquisitor hiss at Vankoff.

"Zero-Nine is here for protection," the Admiral explained, watching as his droid did its work.

The Pau'an crossed his arms again and glared at the man, "You know that's not what I mean. _Why_ is your Dark Trooper activated? He wasn't supposed to be activated until the Empire was ready to be known to the rest of the world."

Vankoff chuckled, "Oh, he's been active for a while, Inquisitor. I just haven't had the time to tell you." Before the Inquisitor could say anything more, he continued. "Don't worry, he's never left the gates of Isengard until today. I programmed Zero-Nine to keep giving me updates on the project. That's part of the reason why he's here. Plus, I've sent Sergeant Scurrow on a separate assignment so I needed the protection."

The Inquisitor clenched his fists and muttered angrily, "That was _not_ your call to make, Admiral."

"But it's already been done," Vankoff replied in the same tone of voice, glowering at the Pau'an, "No use 'scolding' me about it now."

Both men stared at each other for a couple seconds, not making a sudden move. But finally, the Inquisitor sighed and looked at the Dark Trooper as it then examined Merry.

The hobbit still appeared to be unconscious. Kanan wondered if the Brandybuck really was just acting. He would've thought he'd react the same way as his cousin. But if Merry really was okay, and heard the droid, he was doing a good job at hiding his fear.

Vankoff looked at the droid, expectantly, "Well, Zero-Nine? Are they worthy?"

Zero-Nine finally returned to his full height and gave the Admiral a single nod, "Affirmative, Admiral. Would you also like me to scan the human?"

Vankoff's eyes widened, " _Human_?!"

Karabast! Kanan knew there was no point to avoid being noticed now. He could sense the Admiral look down at him in alarm, and then glance up at the Inquisitor for an explanation.

"If I recall correctly, your orders were to just bring the _Halfings_ ," Vankoff said with a frown, "What's the meaning of this?"

The Inquisitor simply smiled, "You'll see." He then nodded to Ugluk, "Get him to his feet."

Ugluk obeyed without hesitation, not wanting to get on the Pau'an's bad side again. Kanan heard the Uruk walk up to him, and before he knew what was happening, the beast's fist slammed right into his back. The Jedi couldn't help but flinch and let out a small groan of pain. Ugluk hit him again, this time making the pain much worse.

"Get up, you dog!" the Uruk roared, hitting him yet again.

Kanan, who was not in the mood to experience any more pain, struggled to stand up. He felt his legs shaking as he rose to his feet. When he was completely standing up, he sensed the shock within Vankoff turn into both delight and amusement.

" _Kanan Jarrus_!" he exclaimed, a cruel smile on his face, "At last we meet face to face, Jedi."

"I figured he'd be a perfect candidate for the project," the Inquisitor replied, also smiling cruelly at the Jedi.

Vankoff looked back at the Pau'an with a raised brow, "You think it will work on a _Jedi_?"

The Inquisitor shrugged, "Worth a try, I would think."

The Admiral's gaze returned to Kanan and he nodded clearly interested in the idea, "Indeed."

At first, Kanan tried to say something, but all of a sudden his knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground on his back. Ugluk growled furiously at the Jedi Knight. He abruptly grabbed him by the throat and leaned his sword against his knees in a threatening gesture.

"If ya don't get up, I'll make sure ya never walk again!" he hissed.

"Now now," Vankoff interrupted, holding his hand up for the Uruk to stop, "That's no way to treat a prisoner, especially a Jedi as valuable as Jarrus." He then gave Kanan a mocking bow, "My deepest apologies, Master Jedi. Don't worry, we'll make sure to take good care of you."

Ugluk shot the Admiral a dark look before rising back to his feet and standing with the rest of the Uruks. Kanan didn't even bother to comment on what was just said to him. He already could tell that there was something bad in store for him, as well as the Halflings.

Vankoff looked over at his Dark Trooper bodyguard, "Zero-Nine, please offer our Jedi friend a helping hand."

The droid nodded, "Yes sir."

Kanan suddenly felt two strong hands grab him by the arms and lift him off the ground. He didn't try to resist. He had never felt so weak in all his life. This felt even worse than when he had been tortured on the _Sovereign_. He groaned again as he felt the Dark Trooper put him over his shoulder and hold him there. This had to be one strong droid if it was able to carry a Jedi Knight.

Pippin, meanwhile, had become really worried for his cousin. He had been unconscious for a long time now, and it was starting to make the Halfling wonder if Merry wasn't doing so well. He had kept whispering to his cousin to wake up, but Merry stayed exactly the same. Pippin knew he might regret it, but he had to ask for help. They already lost Boromir, he wasn't about to lose Merry too.

He looked over at the Inquisitor and yelled, "My friend is sick! He needs water!"

The Pau'an looked at him with a raised brow, and then looked at the unconscious hobbit. He seemed like he was pondering on whether or not to listen to the Took's pleas. But Pippin was becoming more desperate by the minute. Surely the enemy couldn't be _completely_ cold-hearted.

"Please!" Pippin begged again.

Before the Inquisitor could respond, Ugluk suddenly came up and examined Merry himself.

He then chuckled and looked back at the rest of the Uruks, "Sick is he? Give him some medicine, boys!"

As soon as he said that, one of the Uruks walked up and poured a strange reddish liquid into Merry's mouth. Instantly, the hobbit's eyes snapped open and he began coughing, trying to spit the stuff out.

Ugluk watched with amusement and then leaned his head back, laughing, "Can't take his draught!"

The rest of the Uruks burst out laughing at that, while the stromtroopers simply shuddered in disgust. Merry tried to cough out as much of the liquid as he could, and then leaned back, groaning.

"Stop it!" Pippin snapped at Ugluk, "Leave him alone!"

"Why?" the Uruk growled in response, "You want some?" When Pippin quickly shook his head, he then jabbed a finger at the Halfling, "Then keep your mouth _shut_!"

With that being said, Ugluk then turned away and walked up to the front of the group, followed by the Inquisitor, Vankoff, and the droid. When they were out of hearing range, Pippin leaned as close to his cousin as he could.

"Merry?" he whispered worriedly.

Merry glanced at him and gave a small nod, "Hello, Pippin."

The Took tried to examine him and see what was wrong, "You're hurt."

Merry gave a small smile and shook his head reassuringly, "I'm fine. It was just an act."

Once he heard that, Pippin blinked in disbelief, "An _act_?!"

"See? It fooled you too," Merry replied with a chuckle. His smile then abruptly vanished and was replaced by weariness, "Don't worry about me, Pippin."

Pippin wanted to ask more questions, but before he could do so, something unexpected happened up in front of the group that caught both the Jedi and the hobbits' attention. One of the Uruks was sniffing around frantically, apparently having caught the scent of something he didn't like. Ugluk quickly rushed up to him.

"What is it?" he demanded, "What do you smell?"

The Uruk met his gaze and mumbled through gritted teeth, "Man-flesh."

Kanan perked up when he heard that, briefly forgetting about the pain he was in. If the beast didn't sound so worried, he would've thought that he smelled one of the Imperials. But the fact that he _was_ worried rose the Jedi's hopes. If he smelled man-flesh, and it wasn't from within the group, that could only mean-. Both Ugluk and the Inquisitor seemed to have the same idea, and Kanan could already since worry filling the Pau'an's heart. That was honestly the best feeling the Jedi Knight had had so far today.

"They've picked up our trail," Ugluk exclaimed, realizing the immediate danger.

Pippin's eyes widened and he looked down in thought, quietly whispering, "Aragorn?!"

The Inquisitor didn't have to give the order, because Ugluk instantly did it for him, motioning to everyone in the group, "Let's go!"

Within the next second, all parties joined as one and started running again, this time moving much faster than before. Kanan could sense that the Inquisitor realized he had made a mistake by stopping for so long. He then noticed Pippin trying to grab something on his cloak with his mouth. It took a little bit to make out what it was, but the Jedi Knight soon came to the conclusion that it was one of those leaves given to them in Lothlorian. Pippin spat the leaf out of his mouth and let it drop to the ground. That's when Kanan realized that the Took had done that so they could leave a slight trail. As the group ran further into the wilderness, a small triumphant smile came to his lips as he realized perhaps not _all_ hope was lost.

His friends were catching up.


End file.
